Unable to escape
The color drained from Mu Chuchu's face instantly.
"Secondly, whether the prince is kind-hearted or not is none of my business. He saved your life, and you should be grateful and remember it. There's no need to tell me everything."
"Third, Miss Mu just said that the Prince allowed you to walk freely in the backyard of his study? He even shared with you a habitual path that even the generals in the army did not know? And even drank wine with you in the peach grove in private?"
With each question she asked, Mu Chuchu's face paled a little more.
These details are mostly fabricated, pieced together from her own observations, inquiries, and imagination. How can they withstand scrutiny?
Gu Jinghong leaned forward slightly, exuding an invisible sense of pressure.
"The Prince is strict in governing his army and extremely strict in managing his subordinates. In the important military headquarters, the rules are even more stringent. If any of what you said is true, and it gets out, it will damage the Prince's reputation and undermine the discipline of the army. Miss Mu, since you keep saying you are grateful to the Prince for saving your life, is this how you 'repay' him?"
Mu Chuchu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she was covered in cold sweat. She was rooted to the spot by Mu Chuchu's words, her mouth agape but unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Gu Jinghong withdrew his gaze, leaned back against the carriage wall, and said calmly, "Words can cause trouble. Miss Mu, only by remaining quiet and obedient can you last. These words are fine to say to me, but if they reach the ears of a third party..."
Mu Chuchu completely backed down, shrinking into a corner, her face alternating between pale and flushed. She dared not utter another word, only glancing at Gu Jinghong every now and then with her resentful and timid eyes, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her delicate, exquisitely embroidered silk handkerchief.
The car finally fell completely quiet.
Gu Jinghong closed her eyes again, her mind rapidly processing the information she had just "heard," while a vague sense of unease quietly rose in her heart.
This feeling didn't stem from Mu Chuchu's flawed boasting, but from something more subtle.
It's the contradiction in this girl.
Can a self-proclaimed orphan girl, who claims to be helpless and suffering all kinds of hardships, really so quickly shed the deep-seated fear and humility she felt after being rescued and settled by the prince, and instead develop such an almost spoiled confidence and such an adept attitude towards a refined life?
Gu Jinghong recalled Mu Chuchu's slightly raised chin as she spoke, and the somewhat matter-of-fact tone of her complaint: "The headquarters is so empty and desolate..."
This doesn't sound like the complaints of an orphan girl who lives under someone else's roof and is grateful. Instead, it sounds like... like someone who is used to certain preferential treatment and attention is acting spoiled and asking for more.
And her eyes.
While her panic and grievances are genuine, the occasional flashes of calculation and assessment are not something a truly naive and innocent girl could possess.
Not to mention the incense she wore; it wasn't the cheap perfume commonly found in the market. Although the scent was strong, it exuded a subtle air of refinement.
And the jade bracelet on her wrist was of decent quality, with a fashionable design. It was definitely not something an orphan girl fleeing in panic should be carrying; rather, it seemed like something she had been wearing frequently recently.
These details may be explainable individually, but when put together, they create a subtle sense of incongruity.
Gu Jinghong's heart stirred slightly.
Xiao Chengyan said that she was just an orphan girl he rescued on the battlefield.
But this "orphan girl" in front of me seems to have been raised too "exquisitely" and knows too well how to use her weakness as a weapon.
Gu Jinghong could sense all of this just from the first contact, and Xiao Chengyan, who had been in contact with her for a long time, could not possibly have been unaware of it.
If Xiao Chengyan wasn't deliberately lying, then...
The thought flashed through my mind like a pebble thrown into a deep pool; it didn't cause much of a ripple, but quietly sank to the bottom.
...
Five days later, in the back alley of "Drunken Flower Shade"
Orioles and swallows, their perfumes and fragrances filling the air.
Mu Chuchu was foolish enough to reveal the weakest point of the Xingyuan's defenses, and with Gu Jinghong possessing the Jinwang's token, leaving the Xingyuan was not difficult.
She changed into a light red dress, without any makeup, and loosely tied her hair up with a wooden hairpin, which made her features look like a finely sculpted jade statue, with skin as white as snow and eyebrows as beautiful as a painting.
Prince Zhao Qian is about to hold his birthday banquet, and he has been having close dealings with Zui Hua Yin. Gu Jinghong plans to use Zui Hua Yin as a starting point.
Gu Jinghong walked up to the madam, a smile curving her lips: "Madam, I've come to apply to be a singing girl."
The madam, Li San Niang, was drawn by the clear, melodious voice. She turned around and looked over, her slanted eyes momentarily captivated as if drawn by a magnet.
Even though she had seen countless beauties, she couldn't help but feel a tremor in her heart when she saw this face.
This is as if God himself meticulously painted this with fine brushstrokes; it truly embodies the phrase "a beauty that could topple kingdoms and cities"! Just based on this face alone, this person is a veritable money tree!
Li Sanniang circled Gu Jinghong, suppressing her surprise and shaking her head repeatedly. "Your face is beautiful, but in our line of work, it's all about the figure. A graceful figure is what captures a man's soul."
She turned around and stopped in front of Gu Jinghong. She had a fat head and big ears, was covered in makeup, and her chubby hand with a ring was waving a pink silk handkerchief up and down...
Just then, a man carrying baskets passed by, shouting loudly, "Selling piglets—fat, big-eared piglets—"
Gu Jinghong chuckled, and then the girls around her also started to giggle.
Realizing the problem, Li Sanniang suddenly turned stern at Gu Jinghong: "What are you laughing at?"
Gu Jinghong suppressed her smile: "It's nothing, I just remembered something happy."
"What's making you happy?"
"The sow in our house has given birth to piglets."
The girls around burst into laughter again.
Li San Niang turned to look at the girls: "Your sows have given birth to piglets too?!"
The girls fell silent.
Li San Niang was furious, but when she turned around and saw Gu Jinghong's appearance, she suddenly felt a little more at ease.
Her mind was filled with calculations. If she had such a beautiful appearance, coupled with singing and dancing skills... even without a prince, she could be invincible on her own.
"May I have your name?"
"My name is Mu Mu."
Li Sanniang pondered carefully: "...She is indeed gentle and considerate."
She then forced a smile at Gu Jinghong: "I am the kindest of all. Your beauty is indeed one in a million, but Zuihuayin is a high-class place, frequented by people of high status. The girls here can not only sing and dance, but also recite poetry and play music... I wonder which one you are good at?"
"Me?" Gu Jinghong said calmly, "I know how to wield a sword."
Li Sanniang stared in disbelief: "Wielding swords and knives?!"
at the same time.
"Hahaha--"
A lazy laugh, undisguised, rang out from the other end of the alley.
At the alley entrance, where the morning light was at its brightest, a young man strolled leisurely in.
Wearing an extremely flamboyant crimson brocade robe embroidered with large, blooming peonies, and with a delicate jade flute tucked into her waist, she stood out even among a crowd of beauties.
He spoke, his voice gentle yet undeniably sending a chill down one's spine.
"When the young lady spoke of 'wielding swords and knives,' could it be 'sword dance'?"
Xie Yan?! — Gu Jinghong raised an eyebrow.
He came against the light, his tall and slender figure upright and handsome. Although his features were hidden in the light and shadow, his demeanor was still undeniable.
As he slowly approached, even the girls in the back alley of Drunken Flower Shade seemed to pale in comparison.
Xie Yan's phoenix eyes swept over Gu Jinghong's face, feigning surprise: "Why did you run out by yourself?! Come back with me quickly, my—"
Gu Jinghong quickly stepped forward and pinched Xie Yan.
Xie Yan lowered his eyes, looking at Gu Jinghong with a half-smile: "—Mu Mu."
Li San Niang then came to her senses and immediately stood between Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan to prevent Xie Yan from taking away her money tree.
"Sir, shouldn't you give me an explanation for bringing people from my Drunken Flower Shade place?"
Xie Yan pulled Gu Jinghong back to his side, his eyes fixed on Li Sanniang: "What, she's my own sister, can't I take her in? Do I have to give this lousy brothel an explanation?"
Li San Niang felt a chill run down her spine under Xie Yan's dark gaze.
But after a slight hesitation, she raised her head and said, "Young master, if it were any ordinary girl, it wouldn't matter. It's not uncommon for customers to buy a girl if they like her. But today is different. These girls are going to perform at the prince's birthday banquet. I don't care, but are you sure you want to offend the prince?"
Xie Yan curled his lips into a smile, twirled the jade flute in his hand, and said with a disdainful tone, "Heh, Zhao Qian, what is he in front of me!"
This king?!
Gu Jinghong frowned.
Before she could stop him, Xie Yan had already bent down towards Li San Niang: "Do you know what my name is? Xiao Cheng Yan!"
In the Dayong Dynasty, only the royal family had the surname Xiao. In the southwest, the people only had one Xiao Chengyan in their hearts—the King of Ashes who burned down the village during the year of the plague—Xiao Chengyan!
Li San Niang felt her voice trembling. She had thought about climbing up to King Jin, but she never thought of doing it in such a conflict-ridden way.
And most importantly, she wasn't sure if the person in front of her was Xiao Chengyan.
Rumor has it that King Jin is tall and handsome—the person before me is indeed beautiful, but he lacks the noble bearing of a royal nobleman, giving off only a sense of oppression.
She suppressed her fear, her voice trembling, "As far as I know, the Prince... doesn't wear red."
Xie Yan's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Seeing that Xie Yan was really going to ruin her plans, Gu Jinghong quickly spoke up to stop him: "Brother! What nonsense are you talking about! Don't frighten Mother! This is not how Sister teaches us."
Xie Yan frowned and looked at Gu Jinghong: "Sister?"
Gu Jinghong turned to look at Li Sanniang and said, "Mother Li, I'll go and persuade my brother. I'll come back later."
Xie Yan opened her phoenix eyes slightly and stared blankly at Gu Jinghong.
Li San Niang nodded repeatedly: "Girl, I'll be waiting for you then. Don't keep your mother waiting too long!"
Xie Yan, seeing that Gu Jinghong seemed to have ill intentions, flinched and asked, "What are you doing?"
Gu Jinghong's hand touched empty air, so she reached for Xie Yan.
Xie Yan had a bad feeling and ran forward quickly: "Gu Jinghong, don't even think about it!"
Gu Jinghong chased after him, a smile playing on his lips: "Young master, tell me, what do you mean I shouldn't even think about?"
At the end of the alley, Xie Yan leaped up, her toes barely touching the white wall: "Gu Jinghong, you've been in contact with that Xiao Chengyan for a few months now, how come you're getting more and more eccentric..."
Gu Jinghong also took a shortcut and flew after him: "Enough with the nonsense!"
Xie Yan dodged again, keeping a certain distance from Gu Jinghong: "Gu Jinghong, I'm a respectable man... Hey, hey, where are you grabbing! Let go!"
He ran, she chased, but he could never escape.
Half an incense stick later, Xie Yan was dragged by Gu Jinghong to a teahouse in another alley.
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