An Yuan'er gave everyone silver notes. This money came more easily than the girls had ever earned before, and the girls were very happy.
Taking advantage of their momentary lapse in attention, An Yuan'er casually asked, "Have you ever met the fourth young lady of the An family? How do you know so much about her?"
The girls all shook their heads: "She's a young lady from a wealthy family, how could we possibly meet her?"
An Yuan'er frowned: "You've never even seen the person, how could you spread rumors about others? Who told you these things?"
"It's Zhen..." The girls started to say, but then they realized something was off.
The girls turned around and realized that the young man in front of them had a cold and serious expression, and seemed to be particularly sensitive to the fourth young lady of the An family they were talking about.
The girls were timid and shrank back, asking, "What is this young master's relationship with the fourth young lady of the An family?"
"Ahem." An Yuan'er coughed lightly twice.
“I am her brother. You are spreading such rumors, and I will hold you accountable. Whoever reveals who is spreading these rumors first, I can let her go, otherwise…” An Yuan’er threatened.
Prostitutes had a low social status and were most afraid of offending high-ranking officials in the imperial court. They did not want to lose their lives because of greed for petty gains.
The girls were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, their faces pale with fear.
But their eyes seemed hesitant, as if they were struggling with whether or not to expose the person who spread the rumors.
Fearing they might be implicated, none of them dared to be the first to speak up.
Green Smoke hadn't spoken a word or tried to grab the silver notes since the beginning; she had been silently observing everything, including An Yuan'er.
"Hahahaha." She suddenly laughed and leaned close to An Yuan'er's ear.
"Everything you want to know, Green Smoke can tell you. What they dare not say, Green Smoke dares to say. Miss An, are you willing to listen to Green Smoke?"
An Yuan'er's left eyelid twitched violently. How did this green smoke know she was a woman? She had applied black powder to her face, altering her skin tone. She had a small mustache, a fake Adam's apple made of human skin, and even her voice was husky. Her disguise had fooled many people; even Lan Jingtang hadn't noticed anything amiss at first. How did this green smoke know?
An Yuan'er waved her hand: "The rest of you go and wait in the outer room. If I find any of you daring to leave this room, you'll be in big trouble."
The girls shook their heads: "We wouldn't dare, we'll definitely stay put."
An Yuan'er and Lv Yan went to the inner room to talk.
"How did you know I'm a woman?" Now that she'd been exposed, An Yuan'er saw no need to hide anything and simply asked the question directly.
Green Smoke sighed, "I was sold to Shengmiao Courtyard when I was 10 years old, and eighteen years have passed since then. When I was young, I was a famous courtesan, and my greatest skill was observing and understanding people's hearts. Miss An's disguise was very successful, but you overlooked a detail?"
"What?"
Green Smoke pointed to An Yuan'er's hands: "Miss's hands are fair and flawless. Only the finest spices can nurture such hands. Ordinary women's hands may not be so delicate and fair, let alone men's."
An Yuan'er suddenly realized that when she handed over the silver notes, Lü Yan must have noticed. This woman was indeed meticulous and had more brains than other women.
"It is said that Miss An is unconventional and different from the young ladies of prominent families in the capital. Having met her today, I can confirm that the rumors are true. I am honored to be able to clear up Miss An's doubts."
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