Here, A’man arrived at the grand entrance of Duke Lin’s mansion. She immediately informed the guards at the gate of her purpose: she wished to see Duke Lin. Upon hearing this and glancing at A’man’s attire, the guards summarily refused her request.
“Get lost! Our Duke is not someone like you, a lowly person, can meet.” The guard said with a sneer.
“Sirs, I truly have important matters to discuss with Duke Lin. Please, allow me to enter.” A’man said humbly.
“No! Go away, quickly!” the guard said impatiently.
Seeing the guards’ condescending attitude towards people, A’man’s hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched into fists, ready to teach them a lesson.
But just then, a luxurious carriage approached and suddenly stopped at the entrance of Duke Lin’s mansion.
Duke Lin, Lin Zhenfei, stumbled out of the carriage, supported by guards, clearly drunk.
Upon seeing Duke Lin, A’man’s heart rejoiced. She wanted to go forward immediately, but was stopped by a guard beside Duke Lin.
“Who are you? What do you want by approaching our Lord?” the guard beside Duke Lin demanded sternly.
A’man glanced at the guard who questioned her, choosing not to engage him.
Instead, she directly called out to Duke Lin, “Duke Lin, Duke Lin, my mistress sent me to give you this jade pendant.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhenfei opened his hazy eyes and looked at A’man, “Who is your mistress?”
“Duke Lin, my mistress is Liu Ruyi.” A’man replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this woman’s name, Lin Zhenfei was slightly stunned, and his mind cleared a little. This woman, after marrying Leng Jinyu, had severed all ties with him romantically and got involved with Lin Feng, completely forgetting her old flame. Why was she suddenly sending someone to find him today?
“What jade pendant? Hand it over for me to see.” Lin Zhenfei said, narrowing his eyes.
A’man quickly handed the jade pendant Liu Ruyi had given her to Duke Lin.
Duke Lin glanced at the character “Shuang” on the jade pendant, and his entire being instantly sobered up.
“What did your mistress instruct you to convey to this Duke?” Lin Zhenfei asked sharply.
“My mistress asked me to invite you to Prince Qing’s mansion.” A’man replied impassively.
Lin Zhenfei immediately guessed Liu Ruyi’s intention. The previous day, he had heard servants report that Consort Leng of Prince Qing’s mansion was in labor, but after two days, she still hadn’t given birth. This woman, perhaps, was afraid that if Leng Ruoshuang gave birth to a girl, Prince Qing would mistreat their daughter, and she wanted him to support Leng Ruoshuang.
After much consideration, Lin Zhenfei decided to go to Prince Qing’s mansion to see for himself.
“Let’s go, we’ll head to Prince Qing’s mansion.” Lin Zhenfei instructed his guards. Then, he turned around, got back into the carriage, and headed for Prince Qing’s mansion.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn…
The guards at the entrance of Prince Qing’s mansion still refused to let Liu Ruyi in. However, she had not seen A’man successfully invite Lin Zhenfei over. At this moment, she was extremely anxious because she had just overheard the guards discussing that Consort Leng had given birth to an unsexed monster, whom the Prince had directly ordered to be drowned.
This made Liu Ruyi very worried about her own daughter’s safety. Thus, she decided not to wait for Lin Zhenfei and attempted to force her way into Prince Qing’s mansion.
She took a dagger from her sleeve, channeled her qinggong, and flew directly towards the guards, engaging them in a fight on the spot. However, Liu Ruyi’s martial arts skills were not good, and the guards quickly subdued her.
Seeing that this method failed, Liu Ruyi finally resorted to her ultimate weapon – her seductive charm.
Her seductive skills were the most successfully honed in the entire Dark Night Pavilion. As long as someone looked into her eyes, if their will was not firm, they would immediately lose themselves and be at her beck and call, especially men who lusted after her; it would make them even more infatuated with her body.
After being captured by the guards of Prince Qing’s mansion, Liu Ruyi provocatively winked at the guards. She gently unfastened her sash, and her smooth, jade-like shoulders shifted, causing her light outer garment to fall to her waist, leaving her in only a pink肚兜 (dudou - traditional Chinese bodice). A pleasant fragrance instantly emanated from her, wafting towards the guards.
The guards of Prince Qing were left parched by Liu Ruyi’s sudden actions. Although Liu Ruyi was already a woman of mature years, her skin was still as youthful as a maiden’s, and she possessed a more mature womanly charm than younger girls. They thought it would be quite good if they could have a night of passion with her. These guards thought wickedly, and ultimately decided to act on their desires, and in a daze, they lunged towards her.
But just then, Duke Lin’s carriage abruptly arrived at the entrance of Prince Qing’s mansion.
As Lin Zhenfei stepped out of the carriage, he saw Liu Ruyi, disheveled, flirting with the guards at the entrance. Instantly, his face turned as dark as ink.
Had this woman, Liu Ruyi, stooped to such a low level? To enter Prince Qing’s mansion, she was actually doing such shameless things with these gatekeepers at the entrance.
“Stop! What do you think you are doing? This is the main gate of Prince Qing’s mansion. Liu Ruyi, how dare you be so bold as to seduce these guards here? Are you tired of living?” Lin Zhenfei berated her.
Hearing Duke Lin’s voice, the guards instantly sobered up, breaking out in a cold sweat, their spines chilling. How could they have thought of doing such things with this old woman at the entrance of Prince Qing’s mansion? They were truly tired of living.
“Lin Zhenfei, you’ve finally arrived!” Liu Ruyi said without changing her expression.
“Get dressed properly before you go in!”
Lin Zhenfei shot Liu Ruyi a fierce glare.
Liu Ruyi did not argue with Lin Zhenfei. She quickly put on her outer garment that had fallen to her waist and followed closely behind Lin Zhenfei into Prince Qing’s mansion.
At this time, the entire Prince Qing’s mansion was abuzz with gossip…
“Have you heard? Consort Leng actually gave birth to an unsexed monster.”
“I knew it long ago. I was standing in Consort Leng’s courtyard just now. You wouldn’t believe how dark the Prince’s face was when he saw the child; it looked like it could squeeze out ink.”
“Indeed. Who wouldn’t be unable to accept giving birth to a monster whose gender is indistinguishable?”
As Lin Zhenfei and Liu Ruyi passed through the corridor, they overheard the conversation between these two maids.
Lin Zhenfei was utterly bewildered.
Liu Ruyi, upon hearing this, became enraged. She struck out with her palm, killing both maids instantly.
“Slandering and gossiping is worthy of death!” Liu Ruyi said in a gloomy tone.
Lin Zhenfei was too lazy to bother with her. He directly stopped a servant and asked him to lead the way to Leng Ruoshuang’s courtyard.
At this moment, there were very few people left in Consort Leng’s courtyard; only two maids were tidying the room.
Liu Ruyi rushed into the room and, not seeing her daughter there, grabbed one of the maids and asked, “Where is Consort Leng? Where is Consort Leng?”
The maid was startled by Liu Ruyi’s sudden action. She turned and saw the murderous look in her eyes. The maid dared not deceive her.
Hesitantly, she stammered, “Consort… Consort Leng has been… locked in the firewood shed by the Prince.”
“What? Our daughter is still recovering after childbirth, and your Prince actually locked her in the firewood shed?”
Upon hearing the maid’s words, Liu Ruyi almost fainted from anger.