The dark room was small and there was no bed, so Shen Youying could only stand.
If Xue Shen hadn't been holding her waist, she would have almost slid down the wall. In the end, she was too exhausted to even cling to Xue Shen, so he held her and sat her on his lap...
The dark room had only one small window for ventilation. The view outside was not visible, and it was unclear where it led. Only a faint ray of daylight peeked in through the crack.
When Shen Youying couldn't bear it and looked up, she could see the faint light of the sky above her head gradually dimming.
Later, when the dark room became too dark, Xue Shen temporarily let her go. He reached into a hidden compartment with one hand and found a candle and tinderbox, handing them to Shen Youying and coaxing her to light them: "Be good, light the candlestick and let me see you."
Shen Youying's limbs went weak, and she kept shaking her head while clutching the tinderbox.
Xue Shen pressed her down a little, his lips against the crook of her neck, and asked, "Really not going to eat?"
Shen Youying's waist trembled, and she sobbed. She could only bite her lip with tears in her eyes and slowly blow on the tinderbox to light the candle.
A single candle flame barely illuminated the dark room. Xue Shen gazed at her snow-white skin, which glowed with a lustrous sheen in the candlelight, and fascinated himself as he left deep red marks on it.
Shen Youying's hairpins and ornaments fell to the ground, her hair became disheveled, and a few strands of black hair, damp with sweat, clung to her cheeks and neck. She didn't bother to tuck her hair away, as he pulled her into a state of decadence…
Shen Youying woke up at noon the next day. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was no longer in the private room of Fanlou, but judging from the surroundings, she had not returned to the Prince's Mansion.
She sat up, her arms aching, and the brocade quilt slipped off her body, revealing her slender shoulders dotted with red plum blossoms and a hint of fullness. She glanced down, then, embarrassed, pulled the quilt back up to cover herself, leaned forward to look around, and tentatively called out Bai Luo and Dan Zhu's names.
But no one answered. Instead, a strange woman pushed open the door, bowed her head, and carried the clothes in. She didn't dare to look at Shen Youying through the curtain and explained softly, "The prince has something to discuss. He said that if the princess wakes up, she should wait for him."
"My name is Hongque. I'll be waiting at the door. If Your Highness needs anything, please just give the order." After saying this, the woman put down her clothes, still not daring to raise her head, and backed out of the room.
Shen Youying finished dressing before getting up from the bed.
The room was heated by an underfloor heating system, and the floor was covered with a brightly colored velvet carpet. Shen Youying walked barefoot on the carpet to open the window.
The window was opened, and the cold winter wind blew in. She shivered slightly and looked out with some curiosity.
Her room must have been on the second floor, with windows facing the rockery courtyard, looking quite elegant. Further ahead, there were overlapping eaves, vermilion lacquer and gold tiles, looking magnificent and luxurious, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments could be heard.
Shen Youying thought for a moment, but couldn't recall having such a place in Tokyo.
Unable to tell the difference, she closed the window and sat down at her dressing table to do her makeup. He had brought back all the jewelry and ornaments that Xue Shen had removed yesterday, and placed them neatly on the table.
But her elaborate hairstyle was now gone, so she simply used two long hairpins to casually tie up her black hair.
She looked closely at her eyes in the mirror, expecting them to be covered in dark circles from yesterday's ordeal. But the person in the mirror had a radiant complexion, fair and rosy, looking more beautiful than a flower.
Shen Youying bit her lip and stared for a long time before looking away.
Uncontrollably, memories of last night flooded her mind, with Xue Shen seemingly unusually excited... The memories branded onto her body resurfaced, causing Shen Youying to feel a pang of fear. She quickly stopped her thoughts, got up, and opened the door.
When Hongque saw her come out, she quickly bowed and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Shen Youying asked, "Has Your Highness said when the talks will be finished?"
Red Sparrow shook his head: "No."
Shen Youying wondered when Xue Shen would recover. Feeling stifled in the room, she asked Hongque, "Where is this? Could you show me around?"
Red Sparrow quickly glanced at her, noticing the curiosity in her eyes and a troubled expression on her face: "This, this..."
Seeing the troubled look on her face, Shen Youying asked in confusion, "Is it inconvenient to say?"
Hongque shook her head, her head almost touching her chest, and whispered, "This is the backyard of the Red Mansion. If the Princess wishes to stroll around, she can do so in the backyard. But if she goes to the front, I'm afraid some ignorant person might offend her."
Where is this place?
Her voice was so soft that Shen Youying thought she had misheard.
Red Sparrow had no choice but to raise her voice slightly and say, "Red Mansion."
Shen Youying: "..."
She said the place was decorated in a lavish and extravagant style, but she had never seen anything like it before.
It turns out to be the Red Chamber.
As the most famous brothel in Tokyo, Shen Youying had naturally heard of the Red Mansion. Xue Shen was a frequent visitor there. It was said that he once competed with Prince Chen in throwing silver at the Red Mansion for a beauty. Whoever threw more silver would get the beauty.
Shen Youying was filled with mixed feelings. She didn't know why Xue Shen had brought her to the Red Chamber, and at the same time, she was curious about what the most famous brothel in Tokyo was like.
This place is a den of iniquity for men, while women wouldn't even give it a second glance as they pass by.
Shen Youying thought for a moment and said to Hongque, "Then please take me for a walk in the courtyard. I've never been here before."
Seeing that she was gentle and knew that this was the Red Mansion, and that she did not show disdain like other ladies from noble families, and spoke softly, Hongque became a little bolder. She gave a slight curtsy and smiled, saying, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. I will go and get you a hand warmer. This was specially requested by the Prince."
Shen Youying responded and, while Hongque went to get the hand warmer, walked to the edge of the corridor and looked down.
This place truly lives up to its reputation as a den of extravagance. Every beam, pillar, blade of grass, and tree is of exceptional quality. Although it is a brothel, its extravagance is not vulgar. Instead, amidst the hustle and bustle, one can appreciate a touch of elegance.
Unbeknownst to her, as she looked down, several women on the other side, who dared not show their faces, were also secretly observing her.
"Is that the princess?" The woman who spoke looked at Shen Youying with some curiosity.
“The prince carried her in himself, how could it be wrong?” Another person rolled their eyes at her: “I was truly amazed last night. In all the years we’ve been in this brothel, when have we ever seen the prince get close to a woman?”
"That depends on the color," someone chimed in. "With the princess's looks, even the top courtesan in our brothel can't compare, right? Look at her face, her waist, her legs... I heard that before the princess got married, she was the most beautiful woman in Tokyo."
"Are you out of your mind? How dare you compare yourself to the Princess!"
The woman who had spoken earlier realized her mistake and quickly stopped talking. After a moment, she asked again, "Then, is there no possibility between Sister Xiao and the Prince?"
"If Your Highness had any feelings for her, wouldn't you have taken her in by now?"
"Perhaps His Highness is busy with important matters and has no interest in women?" said one of the women who was on good terms with Xiao Xueying.
"It's just that the Prince doesn't like her," another person who looked down on Xiao Xueying's behavior said with a sneer. "Yesterday, the Prince personally carried her in. You're not exactly innocent maidens, so didn't you see those marks..." She covered her mouth and laughed, "If you ask me, the reason she didn't accept her before was simply because she didn't like her. Look at how she likes her now, she practically wants to tie her to her belt!"
"What man isn't lustful? It's just a matter of who he's attracted to."
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