"Thank you, Ninth Master, but given my status, I dare not sit and drink tea before you. I will answer while standing." Fangyun cautiously refrained from sitting down and remained respectfully standing to the side.
"Sit down, if you still consider me Ninth Prince." Ninth Prince glanced at Fangyun and smiled slightly.
Seeing that he said that, Fangyun dared not refuse to sit down.
She kept her face down. She had never before had the opportunity to drink tea and converse with a prince in such a setting. From a young age, she had resented being a servant. She was beautiful and intelligent; if she could find a master who took a liking to her and accept her, with her abilities, it was possible to rise to the status of a princess. Unfortunately, she was assigned to the Fourth Prince's residence. The Fourth Prince was a cold and indifferent man who had never given any respect to the maids.
"Xiao Wu, go tell the manager that I've booked the entire floor and he should clear out the other customers." The Ninth Prince stared at the lowered eyes and a smile curved his lips.
Xiao Wu was taken aback, but quickly understood. He gave Fang Yun a meaningful look and then left.
Upon seeing the two heavy silver ingots, the manager immediately summoned several servants and whispered a few words to them without saying a word. Xiao Wu naturally wouldn't go up any further; he would simply walk halfway up the stairs until he could hear Master Jiu calling him from above.
The guests on the second floor were quickly escorted out without paying, and were promised a free visit next time. Those who didn't want to leave could go to the first or third floor.
Fangyun glanced sideways at the entire second floor, which had instantly fallen silent from its previous clamor. She thought to herself: Money really is a good thing!
“Ninth Master, you don’t really need to chase them all away. No one can hear what we’re saying.” Although Fangyun said this, she was quite satisfied with Ninth Master’s generous approach.
One word: handsome!
"Those people were making such a racket that I couldn't hear what Miss Fangyun was saying," the Ninth Prince said dismissively.
Fangyun was at a loss for words. She was about to bring up Yan Yu's matter when she was stopped by Ninth Master's words.
“Miss Fangyun’s hair seems a bit too plain. I have a hairpin here that I think would suit you very well. Why don’t I put it on for you?” Ninth Master took out a gold hairpin from his sleeve. It was decorated with a snake-shaped design made of rubies and sapphires. The snake had a golden body and ruby eyes. It was very exquisitely crafted.
"This servant wouldn't dare! How could someone of my status wear such a precious hairpin!" Fangyun blushed. When she looked up at the hairpin, even though she had seen many valuable pieces of jewelry, she knew that this hairpin was indeed a fine item. Moreover, its unique design possessed an extraordinary beauty.
“I’m willing to give it to you!” Ninth Master said in an unquestionable tone, then stood up, walked to Fangyun’s side, and personally inserted the snake-shaped hairpin into her hair.
“Beautiful ornaments suit a beautiful woman, I think it suits you very well. I was just wondering who would be suitable to give this hairpin to, but I didn’t expect you to be the most suitable.” Ninth Master reached out a hand, pinched Fangyun’s chin, and gently lifted her drooping chin.
"Ninth Master~" Fangyun murmured unconsciously, unable to resist looking into Old Ninth's alluring eyes. That one look made Fangyun feel as if she were sinking into a quagmire. She knew it was a trap, yet she was unwilling to pull herself out, simply because the trap was too tempting.
"Fangyun, I have a house here with some clothes and headdresses that would suit you very well. I have been looking for a master for them. Would you like to come with me to take a look?" Old Jiu was always direct with women. If he took a fancy to someone, he didn't care about her status. He would just come up and take her to bed.
Although Fangyun was not yet married, she naturally understood such obvious words.
What should I do? Should I go? Why not go? Even if I'm just a bed warmer with the Ninth Prince, it's still much better than marrying into an ordinary family. Although I can't be the principal wife, the life of being a maidservant is no worse than being an ordinary mistress of the house. Most importantly, there's the wealth that comes with the Ninth Prince's hand. Silver is like water in his hands, flowing endlessly and inexhaustibly.
That's how people are. When temptation is thrown in front of them, they might think they'd be satisfied as long as they reached that goal, but when something better appears, that previous goal is discarded and despised. Fangyun's mind is now completely focused on Lao Jiu, and her life there is unlikely to be any better than marrying an ordinary Manchu. But even though she's usually shrewd, when she meets a man who moves her heart, her mind goes completely blank.
“This servant is willing to go with Ninth Prince to take a look.” Fangyun’s heart was pounding wildly. She hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, as if her only purpose in coming here was to have a secret rendezvous with the Ninth Prince.
Old Nine laughed heartily a few times. He liked decisive and efficient women, even ruthless ones; as long as they suited his taste, he would accept them without hesitation. He could have chosen not to come, but he happened to be feeling bored today, so he came with Little Five. The moment he saw Fangyun, Old Nine knew this woman was ruthless and had ulterior motives. He was quite pleased that he had come in person; otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered Fangyun. He had already discussed it with Eighth Brother, deciding to control this woman named Fangyun, using her as a pawn behind a pawn. Yan Yu was their pawn for monitoring the Fourth Prince's residence, and Fangyun was their pawn for monitoring Yan Yu.
Xiao Wu only snapped out of his daze after watching Ninth Master lead Fangyun into the carriage. Sitting in the front with the coachman, he felt incredibly resentful: being a woman was so much better; one day she might catch the eye of a master, and if she could fool a man, she could even have a son or daughter—then she'd be a proper master. Someone like him, with his lower body scarred, would never be able to recover.
Xiao Wuzi walked towards Ninth Master's private residence with a sigh. Sigh, that residence must have hosted countless mistresses. As Ninth Master's close attendant, Xiao Wu knew all about it.
"Fangyun, it's your good fortune that Ninth Master has taken a liking to you. But you should also understand that Ninth Master's interest in women comes and goes easily," Xiao Wu thought to herself.
At this moment, Fangyun could think of nothing but palpitations and fever. She was already in Ninth Master's arms, and the two seemed even more impatient as the carriage jolted along.
"Master~" Fangyun uttered a sound, but it was immediately silenced by Ninth Master's tongue. She rested her head on Ninth Master's shoulder, and his head covered her face.
The two breathed each other's air with ravenous hunger, their bodies intertwined like two venomous snakes. The snake hairpin on Fangyun's head shone brightly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
