Amazing Beauty
Chen'an Residence
The light, drizzling snow that had been falling for several days had made the Jinwang Mansion unusually quiet.
The day finally cleared up, and the golden sun broke through the clouds, shining on the snow on the glazed tiles and casting a cool, dazzling light.
After helping Xiao Chengyan with his dressing and daily routine, Zhixin, as usual, began to tidy up the bed in the bedroom and change the incense.
Gu Jinghong appeared at just the right moment.
She thought about it all night and felt that the key to the secret room should be in Xiao Chengyan's hands, and Chen'an Residence, as Xiao Chengyan's private residence, was the most suspicious place.
Zhixin deftly spread out the brocade quilt, and suddenly exclaimed "Huh?" as she pulled an object out from under the bright yellow brocade pillow she had just lifted.
Gu Jinghong looked in the direction of the sound.
Zhixin held a ring-shaped object slightly larger than a normal ring in her palm. It looked like a thumb ring, but its surface was etched with intricate spiral patterns.
Gu Jinghong's pupils suddenly contracted. Wasn't that the same pattern on the Nanfeng Lock that he had touched yesterday?!
She stepped forward and asked, "Sister Zhixin, what is this? Its design is quite unique."
Zhi Xin explained without a smile, "It's a thumb ring. The prince sometimes wears it when practicing martial arts and drawing a bow, right? Perhaps he took it off yesterday and forgot about it."
As she spoke, she began to put the thumb ring into an open sandalwood jewelry box beside her.
Gu Jinghong smiled and said, "I've never seen such a unique style before. May I take a look, sister?"
Seeing her curious expression, Zhixin handed the item over. "Of course, Miss Gu, please be careful not to break it."
Taking the "ring," a cool sensation instantly spread from her palm. Gu Jinghong held it between her fingers; it was lighter than she had expected. Without making a sound, she gently stroked the raised lines with her fingertips. The direction, depth, and curvature of the lines... indeed corresponded to the core mechanism of the South Wind Lock.
This… Gu Jinghong’s eyes widened suddenly.
Instead of feeling like she'd finally found something she'd been searching for, Gu Jinghong, who had been a clerk for many years, subconsciously activated her five senses. Every pore on her body seemed to be capturing the slightest change in her surroundings.
No, wait, there's someone!
Gu Jinghong always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching her from a distance, waiting for her to secretly accept the ring so they could catch her like a turtle in a jar!
Could it be that Xiao Chengyan again?
Gu Jinghong pondered for a moment, held the "finger ring key" up to the light, and then put the ring on her slender finger and played with it: "It really is a very interesting object. If you said it was a trap, people would believe it, let alone a finger ring."
Zhi Xin, puzzled, straightened her expression and took the ring off Gu Jinghong's hand: "Miss Gu, this is the prince's item. Don't talk nonsense. What kind of trap is this?"
Gu Jinghong laughed and said, "Look, the ring is worn on the finger, but isn't it a trap for the finger?"
Zhixin was momentarily confused, but didn't delve into it. She simply put the ring key back into the jewelry box and said, "I don't understand what you're saying, young lady. I'd better keep it safe so that the prince won't lose it."
After getting ready, the two walked together toward the side room of Chun Shen Garden.
As Gu Jinghong passed by the small courtyard between Chen Anju and Chun Shen Yuan, he clearly felt a pair of eyes watching him.
She turned around instinctively, alert, and exclaimed, "Who?!"
But all they saw was a plump figure dressed as a maid turning and leaving.
Gu Jinghong nudged Zhixin lightly with her shoulder and pointed her chin in the direction of the figure: "Who is this? Why are they looking at us?"
Zhixin looked in the direction Gu Jinghong indicated, but could only vaguely see a figure. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Perhaps it's Liu Zhaowan from the sewing room."
"Liu Zhaowan?"
Zhixin watched the disappearing figure and said, "Hmm, whenever a new person comes to the manor, she always comes to inquire... It's alright, we don't need to pay attention to her."
...
Gu Jinghong was absentmindedly folding clothes when suddenly, Changfeng's clear voice came from outside the courtyard: "Your Highness, the people from the Jingzhao Yin's office have arrived at the study and have important matters to discuss."
Xiao Chengyan's deep "hmm" sound came from afar and was actually coming towards the side room!
Zhi Xin's expression changed, and she exclaimed in a low voice, "Why did Your Highness return at this hour today!"
She frantically tried to pack her clothes as quickly as possible.
Gu Jinghong was also startled, and the black brocade robe in her hand almost slipped from her grasp. In that moment of panic, her fingertips deftly caught a very subtle protrusion on the inside of the robe.
In a moment of desperation, she instinctively pinched and flicked, opening a small, square pouch with a thin rope attached to the bottom.
At the same time, Xiao Chengyan's footsteps could be heard outside the door.
“Huh? This…” Gu Jinghong blurted out, then immediately suppressed his surprise and doubt, and changed to a curious tone, “This hidden pouch is quite unique.”
Zhixin was sweating profusely. She glanced at the doorway and quickly explained in a low voice, "The prince keeps all his valuable personal items like this. Please fold them up quickly, Miss!"
Just as Gu Jinghong was about to close the hidden pouch, her fingertips touched an extremely subtle, familiar spiral-shaped protrusion on the inner wall of the pouch—it was definitely not the texture of the fabric itself, but seemed to be... the imprint of the Nanfeng Lock pattern?
The real key must have been kept here all the time, otherwise it would have left such a mark on the soft lining!
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Gu Jinghong remained expressionless, smoothly restoring the hidden pocket and smoothing out the collar, as if she were merely tidying up the wrinkles, and calmly placed the folded clothes onto the tray.
Xiao Chengyan appeared at the doorway. His gaze seemed to sweep unintentionally over the clothes in Gu Jinghong's hands before casually moving away.
Gu Jinghong's heart pounded, but she still looked at the prince with a radiant smile.
Xiao Chengyan's gaze quickly swept past Gu Jinghong and then landed on Zhixin.
"Bring me my court robe."
...
As night deepened, Xiao Chengyan emerged from the palace in a dark cloak, accompanied by Changfeng.
Changfeng followed half a step behind Xiao Chengyan, presented the "finger ring key" to Xiao Chengyan, and reported in a low voice: "Your Highness, Miss Gu picked up the item and looked at it for a while. Her expression was normal and there was nothing unusual. In the end, Zhixin put the finger ring back at the bottom of the jewelry box. I have confirmed that the item is untouched."
Xiao Chengyan did not take the "ring key," but merely glanced at it, his thin lips slightly parted, "Untouched?"
Changfeng: "Yes... She also said..."
He continued walking forward, his steps unwavering: "What?"
She said it was a trap.
Xiao Chengyan stopped abruptly, his icy gaze suddenly flashing as he looked at Changfeng: "The exact words?"
Changfeng shook his head, his expression quite serious: "The original words were, 'It really is a very interesting object. Even if you said it was a trap, people would believe it, let alone a thumb ring.'"
Xiao Chengyan continued walking forward—but it was a sparrow that was not easily fooled.
...
That night, the lights in the side rooms of Chun Shen Garden were already off.
Gu Jinghong, however, was wide awake. She tossed and turned, pondering how to retrieve the key from Xiao Chengyan's undergarments.
Just as she was deep in thought, the familiar "knock-knock" sound came from the window again.
The mechanical bird has unexpectedly appeared here!
Could it be that something has happened in the pavilion?
Gu Jinghong got up and walked to the bedside, then quickly removed the bulging roll of paper from the bird's belly.
Unfolding the letter, Xie Yan's unrestrained and wicked handwriting immediately caught the eye:
"My beloved, you are like a fleeting glimpse of beauty before my eyes."
I have heard that you have been neglecting your duties lately, and have even been asking Yun Ni for advice on how to please men. This is truly taking a roundabout approach and it chills my heart.
Do you not know that, looking across the capital, when it comes to romance and pleasure, who can surpass me, Xie Yan?
Xiao Chengyan is a man of iron will; ordinary methods will only make him a laughingstock. I will now bestow upon you a method that will surely be effective—
While he is taking a bath, amidst the rising steam, you quietly enter.
It should be understood that a man is most relaxed and most open at that moment. When he is completely naked and has nothing to rely on, that is when his defenses are most easily breached.
At that time, let alone a small herb, even if you asked for his soul, he would gladly offer it to you with both hands.
This is a closely guarded secret; I hope you will make good use of it and not waste this wonderful night.
— A letter from Xie Yan, a man known for his compassion and tenderness.
Gu Jinghong held the letter tightly, her fingertips growing cold.
Xie Yan is a madman!
The letter was frivolous and unrestrained, full of Xie Yan's vulgarity and mockery. In particular, the phrase "completely naked, with nothing to rely on" was like a red-hot needle, pricking her ears and making her feel hot.
How dare they interfere when she was walking on thin ice and proceeding cautiously!
This madman doesn't care about the success or failure of the mission; he just wants to watch the show.
Watch as chaos erupts in the Prince Jin's mansion, watch Gu Jinghong flee in disarray under Xiao Chengyan's wrath, and see if the storm he stirred up can bring a twisted kind of "fun"! He is using the lives of the entire mansion and innocent people to further shackle her already incredibly difficult task!
But the next moment, a sudden realization dawned on her.
Completely naked...without anything to rely on...
This isn't just referring to Xiao Chengyan as a person!
When he takes a bath, aren't his personal clothes, accessories, and even the key ring that might be hidden in a secret pocket on his body, exactly the same as being "naked" and "without anything to rely on"?
At that moment, not only were his mental defenses at their weakest, but his guard against important things was also at its lowest.
Xie Yan's original intention was for her to seduce the man, conquering him in the most primal way. But this insidious plan unexpectedly opened up another path for her…
She slowly folded the letter, all the hesitation in her eyes being tempered into a cold, sharp edge.
Who cares what the scheme is, as long as it works?
It's midnight tonight.
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