Inside the private room, only Gu Qianying and Nangong Mo remained. Nangong Mo suddenly raised his palm.
A gust of wind swept through, rattling the tables and chairs.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle, what are you doing?"
"Ah."
"Nangong Mo, you, you..."
Outside the room,
Bai Qi, holding back Lu Zhu who was about to rush in, lied through his teeth, "Don't worry, your young lady is not injured, nor is she being bullied by my master."
Lu Zhu glared at Bai Qi, "If not, why is she shouting? Let go of me, I need to save my young lady."
Lu Zhu broke free from Bai Qi.
Bai Qi grabbed her again, "Perhaps... it's comfortable."
Lu Zhu, not understanding, kicked Bai Qi between his legs.
Lu Zhu's strength was considerable. With that kick, Bai Qi's face contorted.
"Oh oh, ah ah, you... oh oh, it hurts so much." Bai Qi clutched his lower body, his expression twisted in pain.
Lu Zhu paid him no mind, breaking free from him and immediately turning around.
*Crack!*
Bai Qi yanked Lu Zhu's collar fiercely and brought his hand down.
Lu Zhu's body went limp, and she fainted.
Inside the private room,
Gu Qianying stared blankly at the man before her who had shed his outer robe, revealing his toned abs.
"In terms of looks, I am far more handsome than that scoundrel Xu Zichen. In terms of physique, besides my fair skin, I possess the robust physique of a man. If you wish to look, look. If you wish to use me, use me. With this, are you still unsatisfied?"
Yi Hong Yuan.
A group of girls in vibrant colors surrounded a man in a green robe.
"Young Master, come, come, this slave will toast you." Her pink clothes, thin as gauze, blocked his view of her snow-white skin.
"Come, come, Young Master, don't be so stingy. Hurry and drink, this slave can't wait any longer." The scent of rouge and powder filled his nostrils.
The red lipstick marks on his cheeks exuded an alluring fragrance.
"Girls, no, no, no, this is not appropriate. Take your hands away, Confucius said..."
Xu Zichen couldn't stand being surrounded by a group of girls, being touched and plied with wine. He was driven to madness.
He wanted to struggle to his feet, but the girls who vowed to spend a pleasant night with him were nowhere near letting him go.
At this moment, Nangong Li, seated opposite Xu Zichen, tapped his fan and, accompanied by two charming girls serving him wine, was enjoying himself thoroughly.
"Brother Xu, just be open with your kisses, open with your embraces. I have already distributed the reward money. Just enjoy yourself."
As he spoke,
Nangong Li did not forget to have a girl serving him feed him fruit.
Xu Zichen pushed away two of the girls who were clinging to him, revealing his head with a mournful expression, "Young Master Nangong, although we met by chance, you don't have to go to such lengths to invite me here. Moreover, I don't have this kind of inclination. Mencius said... lust is a knife above one's head..."
*Clink!*
A grape was tossed precisely into Xu Zichen's mouth.
Nangong Li flicked his fingers, a playful smile on his face, "Brother Xu, you'll get used to it as you taste. Don't be so reserved. Kiss when you want to kiss, touch when you want to touch, and go to bed when you want to go to bed. This Prince... oh, this Young Master has plenty of money.
However, if you're too shy, this Young Master can invite girls to teach you properly. It's time you broke your maidenhood, hahaha."
Met by chance? Bah!
He had to exert all his might to get close to this foolish Xu Zichen.
Who would have thought that a grown man would dislike gambling, drinking, and even women!
He had arranged for several charming ladies to have a chance encounter with this fellow, but this fool had politely persuaded them away.
That was not all. What was even more frustrating was that after a brief conversation with this fellow, those charming ladies decided to abandon the secular world and become nuns.
Thus, he could only bring this foolish fellow to Yi Hong Yuan for some pleasure.
The girls here were thick-skinned and knew how to serve!
"But... but, I received an invitation from the eldest daughter of the Gu family. I am supposed to be heading to the Number One Pavilion in the world to attend the appointment today. I cannot be late."
Saying this, Xu Zichen pushed away the girls embracing him and stood up.
Nangong Li stood up and pushed him back down, "What's the rush? Don't you know that the eldest daughter of the Gu family, Gu Qianying, is the woman favored by the Ninth Prince, Nangong Mo? She is destined to be the Ninth Princess Consort. If you meet her secretly, aren't you afraid the Ninth Prince will kill you?"
Suddenly.
Xu Zichen stood up again, glaring at Nangong Li with indignation.
"Young Master Nangong, that is not true. What do you mean by secretly? I received the invitation from the eldest daughter of the Gu family openly. Furthermore, between the eldest daughter of the Gu family and myself, our relationship is based on genuine affection and proper etiquette. Our meeting today is merely to discuss medical skills. We are pure and innocent. Why would the Ninth Prince want to kill me?
If the Ninth Prince were to kill me simply for meeting the eldest daughter of the Gu family, then such a narrow-minded person would not be worthy of being our Dynasty's Ninth Prince."
Xu Zichen's lengthy discourse left Nangong Li stunned.
At this moment, he finally understood why those beautiful ladies had abandoned the secular world to become nuns!
Had they all been brainwashed by this fellow Xu Zichen?
Just as Nangong Li felt he was about to be brainwashed himself, he suddenly came to his senses.
His Ninth Imperial Uncle had tasked him with finding a way to properly deal with this second son of the Xu family, Xu Zichen, and to do so without anyone noticing, especially the eldest daughter of the Gu family.
If he lost his reputation by frequenting brothels, he would also lose his qualification to participate in the competition of the Poisonous Doctor's Pavilion. Let's see how Xu Zichen would manage then!
But at this moment, not only had he failed to complete his mission, but he had also almost been led astray by this fellow Xu Zichen.
No, it seemed he had to resort to drastic measures.
"Brother Xu, you don't know this, but I've heard that this Miss Gu is ill, seriously ill!"
Xu Zichen looked over, his eyes wide with surprise, "Ah? Ill? What kind of illness?"
Nangong Li deliberated for a moment, then opened his fan, tilted his body, covered half his face, and whispered to Xu Zichen, "She suffers from madness. When she has an attack, she not only bites people easily but also loves to drink the blood of living people.
Oh, I also heard that last time, this eldest Miss Gu bit and drank the blood of a maidservant in her mansion, ate her flesh, and then stewed the bones into a pot of soup. The maids in the mansion were terrified. Those who escaped have fled, and those who are still there hide in corners and cry every day."
Hearing Nangong Li's words, Xu Zichen was instantly dumbfounded.
"This... how can this be? She... doesn't she also know medical skills? Moreover, when I spoke with the eldest daughter of the Gu family last time, I didn't find her to be ill!"
*Slap!*
Nangong Li closed his fan and tapped Xu Zichen with the handle, "Are you stupid? Would a sick person have the words 'sick' written on their face? Besides, a physician cannot cure themselves. Don't you understand this principle?"
"Then, in the future...?"
Nangong Li sat back down and interrupted Xu Zichen, "Brother Xu, whether you want to live or die is up to you. This Young Master is tired of playing and wants to go back."
Nangong Li, ignoring Xu Zichen's stunned expression, turned and walked out.
As he emerged, the madam, with her ample waist swaying, smiled and approached him, "Young Master Nangong, were the girls' services satisfactory?"
Nangong Li replied dismissively, "Yes, not bad, very good, very good."
The madam's smile widened, "That's good, that's good. Then... when will you be giving the tip?"
Nangong Li pointed inside, "The gentleman inside said he would treat me. You can ask him for it."
The madam followed Nangong Li's gaze into the room, "Oh, alright, alright. Please take care, Young Master."
Knowing that someone would pay, the madam was willing to let Nangong Li leave.
Nangong Li watched as the madam walked into the room alone, and suddenly called out to her, "Wait a moment, old madam. My friend here has a bad memory and tends to default on payments. Also, he is skilled in martial arts, so be careful when you go in."
Upon hearing this, the madam quickly called for several guards to accompany her.
At the same time.
In the east wing of Yi Hong Yuan.
"How is the investigation?"
Ouyang Qinglin, dressed in a python-embroidered red robe, sat before a round table, playing with a fan made of human skin.
Beside him, a masked youth in white knelt at his feet and replied, "Reporting to Master, your subordinate has learned that tomorrow, besides the eldest daughter of the Gu family, some individuals from humble backgrounds who study medicine will also participate.
Several people from the Imperial Tai Hospital have disguised themselves and registered. Others include Princess Xuanning, and several county princesses who are close to Princess Xuanning have also registered together.
In addition, your subordinate just learned that besides the two female guards, Zijin and Ziyin, sent by the Ninth Prince's mansion to protect the eldest daughter of the Gu family, Physician Du Chun has also recommended Miss Lan Qingqing from the mansion to participate."
"Oh? Is that so? Princess Xuanning and those arrogant county princesses are not to be trifled with. It is not surprising that these people and those from the Imperial Tai Hospital have registered to participate. As for the rest, it is already a foregone conclusion.
However, Miss Lan, who has lived in the Ninth Prince's mansion for many years but has never caught Nangong Mo's eye, is also participating?"
His slender, soft fingers tapped rhythmically on the tail of the fan handle.
A seductive smile played on Ouyang Qinglin's lips, "Look, this play is becoming more and more interesting."
He turned to the person kneeling at his feet, "Go, tell the Crown Prince to prepare his people. This grand play is about to begin. Also, let our people infiltrate. That fool of a Crown Prince is prone to messing things up. This Grand Tutor will not allow anyone to disrupt this Grand Tutor's plan."
"Yes, Master."
After the white-clothed youth left,
Another person entered.
He was dressed in a black robe and was also masked.
He knelt at Ouyang Qinglin's feet, "Master, the second daughter of the Gu family has been switched by my subordinate and brought here."
"Hmm, very well. Then, the rest will be up to you. Remember, what this Grand Tutor needs is an obedient, heartless elite assassin, not a delicate young lady who feigns foolishness."
"Yes, Master, your subordinate understands."
The black-robed man left.
Ouyang Qinglin stood up and walked out of the room.
The room's door was left ajar.
On the table, the human-skin fan lay open, and as the sunlight streamed in, it cast a faint glow on the fan's surface.