"Zhi Xia, you don't understand. I can't forget my Jianhua Ge," said the woman, who was Li Kexin, the concubine that Prefect Zeng had searched the entire Linzhou City for and posted a bounty notice to find.
Li Kexin, true to her name, was around twenty years old, petite, and lovely. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, evoking a sense of pitiable charm. A stubbornness in her brows easily stirred a man's desire to conquer.
"Alas, if you can't forget him, the Master won't let you go either. You might as well stay and serve him well. If you appease him and make him happy, you can then beg him to release your husband," Xia Guo advised helplessly.
"Impossible. Even if you kill me, Li Kexin, I will not submit to Prefect Zeng," Li Kexin said stubbornly.
"Why must you be like this? For the three years since you entered the Prefect's manor, the Master has treated you with utmost sincerity. Your treatment in the Zeng manor is almost on par with the main wife," Xia Guo said with a hint of envy.
Upon hearing this, Li Kexin's eyes lit up. "Xia Guo, do you like the Master?"
"Servant, servant girl does not like the Master. My lady, please do not speak nonsense," Xia Guo said, her eyes darting away.
Li Kexin noticed Xia Guo's gaze and immediately understood. This Xia Guo had truly fallen for Prefect Zeng Yi Hong, a man old enough to be her father.
"Xia Guo, you are still a seventeen-year-old maiden. It's normal to like someone. You don't need to be afraid," Li Kexin said calmly.
"My, my lady, servant girl, servant girl does not intend to snatch the Master from you." Hearing this, Xia Guo immediately knelt before Li Kexin, trembling.
Li Kexin quickly helped Xia Guo up.
"Xia Guo, what are you afraid of? If you like him, you should boldly confess your feelings," Li Kexin encouraged her.
"But my status is too humble. I dare not..." Xia Guo said humbly.
"Come here, I'll tell you..." As she spoke, Li Kexin pulled Xia Guo closer and whispered a few words into her ear.
Xia Guo understood Li Kexin's intention. Her brows immediately furrowed, and she said timidly, "If I do this, will the Master kill me directly when he wakes up?"
"Don't worry. Men are all lustful. If he knows how good you are, he won't kill you," Li Kexin enticed.
"Then, alright. Servant girl is willing to try."
Xia Guo eventually couldn't resist the temptation and agreed to cooperate with Li Kexin. The main reason was that she truly did not want to remain a lowly maid despised by others in the Zeng manor.
Because she possessed some beauty, she was ostracized everywhere in the Zeng manor, making her life difficult. If she could marry the old man Zeng Yi Hong as a concubine now, she would be overjoyed. After all, a concubine was half a mistress in the Zeng manor, which was better than being a mere maid.
Moreover, although Zeng Yi Hong had passed his prime, his physique was still robust. Furthermore, he was a dignified prefect. It wouldn't be a loss for her to become his concubine. If she could bear him a son or daughter, that would be even better, as Zeng Yi Hong had very few descendants.
Meanwhile, in Prefect Zeng's study, a man in black suddenly appeared.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into the Zeng manor in broad daylight?" Prefect Zeng Hong narrowed his eyes and roared at the masked man in black.
"Lord Zeng, you have found your concubine, yet you still have such a temper?" The masked man in black stood straight beside Prefect Zeng's desk, his hands behind his back, teasingly.
Hearing this, Prefect Zeng's brow furrowed.
"Who exactly are you?"
The masked man in black glanced at Prefect Zeng and took out a token from his waist, displaying it to Prefect Zeng.
Prefect Zeng immediately knelt and saluted.
"Your subordinate greets you, my lord!"
The masked man in black stopped his teasing and took a letter from his sleeve, handing it to Prefect Zeng.
Masked Man in Black: "Take a good look."
Prefect Zeng immediately took the envelope and glanced at it.
It read: For Prefect Zeng Hong's eyes only.
Prefect Zeng immediately tore open the envelope. After reading it carefully, the masked man in black flipped out the window and left.
After reading the letter, Prefect Zeng immediately broke into a cold sweat. The Cold King had actually come to Linzhou City, and would arrive within these two days.
He paused for a moment, then quickly took out a fire starter from his sleeve and burned the letter. Only then did he open the study door, call his guards, and anxiously instruct, "Speed up to the city gate. Tell Zheng Zhanzhi to open the city gates quickly and keep a close watch on the movements of those entering. The Cold King might arrive in Linzhou City these past two days."
"Yes, your subordinate obeys!" The guard responded and immediately sprinted out of the Zeng manor towards the city gate.
In half an incense stick's time, the guard arrived at the city gate and relayed Prefect Zeng's message to the guarding general, Zheng Zhanzhi. Zheng Zhanzhi also felt the gravity of the situation and immediately opened the city gates without delay.
At this time, the citizens waiting outside the city were only able to enter at noon.
Simultaneously, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han had successfully infiltrated the Zeng manor.
"You two have impressive martial arts. From now on, you will guard the main gate of the Zeng manor," the steward of Prefect Zeng's manor said loudly, adopting a haughty demeanor.
As he finished speaking, Leng Ruo Li pretended to obey and nodded, while Jun Mo Han remained silent.
The steward was quite satisfied with Leng Ruo Li's attitude. However, when he saw Jun Mo Han with a dark expression, he became particularly angry. This fellow was the most uncooperative, not even nodding his head.
If it weren't for his superior martial arts, he, as the steward, would not have chosen such an arrogant person as a guard.
In the evening, the night was hazy, with stars dotted across the entire sky.
Tonight, Leng Kexin's room was meticulously decorated, appearing exceptionally romantic.
After dressing up, Li Kexin also dressed Xia Guo meticulously, choosing a rather revealing and vibrant dress from her wardrobe for Xia Guo to wear.
In fact, these revealing dresses were custom-made by Prefect Zeng for Li Kexin. However, she didn't cherish them at all. She was a respectable woman, not a prostitute from a pleasure house. Why wear such alluring and revealing attire?
Li Kexin took out these clothes for Xia Guo to wear tonight because she wanted her to seduce Prefect Zeng into bed. Then, Li Kexin would seize the time to rescue Qiao Jianhua from prison, and the two of them would escape this hell together.
This afternoon, Li Kexin had used all the jewelry and ornaments given to her by Zeng Yi Hong to bribe the jailers guarding her husband. The jailers accepted the gifts and agreed to her request. Tonight, they would secretly release Jianhua Ge from his cell and help them escape the Zeng manor. Although she wasn't entirely sure if the jailers would help them, she still hoped for a slight chance to leave this Zeng manor and Linzhou City.