The discussion came to an end.
Lan Ningcheng understood the look Xiao Ying gave him and silently bowed before withdrawing from the study. He gently closed the heavy wooden door behind him, shutting out the noise from outside completely.
The spacious study fell silent, leaving only the faint fragrance of aloeswood incense lingering in the air.
Xiao Ying lowered his eyes, his gaze drifting over Lord Yuexi’s right hand, concealed beneath his wide sleeve.
He beckoned lightly, his tone betraying little emotion. “Come a little closer.”
Lord Yuexi stepped forward as instructed and stopped in front of him.
Xiao Ying gently took his hand and pushed the layered sleeve up a little. On the pale, jade-like skin of the wrist—the hand that normally played the zither and held a writing brush—lay a large, shocking bruise, dark blue and purple.
It was the mark left the previous night when Li Ziao had desperately grabbed and dragged him about in the chaos of their attempted escape.
Looking at the bruise, Xiao Ying’s brows drew together unconsciously. He muttered under his breath, “That brute has no idea how to handle someone delicately…”
He turned toward the desk, picked up a delicate little white porcelain jar, and removed its lid. Dipping his fingertips into the translucent ointment, which carried a faint herbal fragrance, he gently spread it over the bruised skin.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
Xiao Ying did not look up as he asked, using the pad of his finger to smooth the ointment evenly over the wound.
“It… certainly hurt quite a bit at the time,” Lord Yuexi answered honestly.
Li Ziao’s grip had been astonishingly strong. For a moment, he had genuinely thought his wrist bone would be crushed.
The cool ointment seeped into his skin, soothing most of the burning pain that had lingered beneath the surface.
According to etiquette, he should never have allowed Xiao Ying, a prince of the current dynasty, to apply medicine to him personally. Such an intimate gesture was also contrary to the rules.
Yet at that moment, he neither pulled his hand away nor refused.
He lowered his eyes and quietly watched the hand carefully tending to his wound.
The fingers were well-defined, and the palm was faintly warm.
An unwelcome ripple stirred uncontrollably in Lord Yuexi’s heart.
Over the past three years, he had warned himself countless times to abandon every pointless fantasy and build a high wall around himself, never allowing even the slightest crack to show before anyone.
Yet this man before him, whether intentionally or not, was always tapping gently against the cold defenses he had built, testing them again and again.
Once more, he reminded himself—
Xiao Ying was a prince. Even by status alone, he was someone Lord Yuexi had no right to desire.
Moreover… whenever Xiao Ying looked at him, his gaze was always so clear and composed, never lost in emotion.
Perhaps Xiao Ying’s kindness toward him was merely a means of winning people’s loyalty.
And yet he was beginning to grow accustomed to this gentle consideration.
Just as he was thinking this, Xiao Ying’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts.
“I really should not have let you take that risk.”
As he continued spreading the ointment evenly, Xiao Ying murmured, “That poisoned crossbow bolt… what if it had hit you instead? Li Ziao is strong and robust, with a solid constitution. He could withstand the poison and the injury. But your body might not have been able to bear it.”
Although the previous night’s plan had been a carefully calculated scheme to turn the enemy’s trap against them, every scheme carried the risk of losing control.
If that poisoned crossbow bolt that had pierced through the woods last night had struck Lord Yuexi instead of Li Ziao…
Xiao Ying knew perfectly well that, for the sake of this plan, he had been forced to place his own pawn on the chessboard.
But he could not predict everything with absolute certainty. The slightest miscalculation could have changed the outcome entirely.
“Your Highness need not concern yourself with it. I chose to go willingly.”
Lord Yuexi spoke calmly. These were not merely polite words intended to comfort Xiao Ying.
“As long as there is a chance of finding a clue to the truth behind what happened all those years ago, I would not hesitate to put myself in danger and enter the heart of the trap.”
Xiao Ying’s hand stopped moving. He raised his head and looked directly at him.
“If you die, what meaning would there be in my clearing the Wu family’s name afterward?”
“Of course there would still be meaning.”
Lord Yuexi answered with a composure that was almost cruel, as though analyzing the fate of someone entirely unrelated to himself.
“The Wu family would no longer bear the accusation of treason and embezzlement in the eyes of future generations. If my younger sister is still alive, she could regain her freedom and no longer suffer the world’s contempt and abuse. And the people who orchestrated the crimes against my family would receive the punishment they deserve.”
This cold, heart-wrenching analysis did not bring Xiao Ying the slightest relief. Instead, his brows furrowed even more deeply.
The man before him seemed to have long since learned to separate his own life and worth from everything else, as though they were entirely irrelevant.
Throughout all of Lord Yuexi’s words, there was never any mention of himself.
Only the Wu family, his younger sister, and his enemies.
It was as if these were the only things that gave his life meaning.
That was why, whenever he was injured, he remained silent and indifferent, as though the body suffering the pain did not belong to him.
Sometimes, Xiao Ying could not help wondering whether Wu Jiuling was truly still alive in this world.
After finishing the application, Xiao Ying replaced the lid on the porcelain jar and pressed it directly into Lord Yuexi’s hand.
“Apply it once a day until the bruise has completely disappeared.”
His tone was mild.
Then Xiao Ying turned and returned to the grand armchair behind his desk.
Lord Yuexi accepted the jar and keenly sensed the faint displeasure hanging around Xiao Ying.
After hesitating briefly, he asked softly, “Your Highness, are you unhappy because of… that kiss earlier? I should not have crossed the line. If you feel that I have offended you, please punish me.”
At the mention of the kiss, Xiao Ying’s gaze settled on Lord Yuexi’s face, complicated emotions passing through his eyes.
He knew very well that he and Lord Yuexi had grown up in entirely different environments. Their ways of thinking and their values were worlds apart.
Things that seemed perfectly natural to him were not necessarily so in Lord Yuexi’s eyes.
After a long silence, he let out a helpless sigh.
“Yuexi, I have never regarded you as a male courtesan from the pleasure quarters. In my eyes, you are Wu Jiuling.”
Lord Yuexi gazed silently at Xiao Ying, his mind rapidly analyzing the reason for the prince’s displeasure.
“I know you dislike physical contact,” Xiao Ying continued, his gaze shifting almost imperceptibly to the side as he gave a slight cough. “And I… am not someone who behaves frivolously with others.”
Lord Yuexi blinked, his thoughts racing as he turned over the deeper meaning of Xiao Ying’s words. Soon, drawing on the information and experience he had accumulated, he arrived at what seemed a reasonable conclusion. He lowered his head in slight embarrassment.
“I was too careless…”
His voice carried a note of apology.
In his past understanding, a noble prince like Xiao Ying, who spent so much time frequenting the pleasure quarters, must have been accustomed to indulging himself in the world. Surely, someone like that would regard such intimate physical contact as an everyday occurrence and would never give a momentary touch a second thought.
He had never imagined that he had misunderstood the situation so completely.
Suddenly, he remembered that when Xiao Ying had carried him aboard the pleasure boat that time, the prince had said:
“This prince has never carried anyone in his arms before. You were the first.”
At the time, Lord Yuexi had assumed it was nothing more than a casual, teasing remark.
A jolt of alarm ran through him.
Could it be that he had inadvertently… taken this prince’s first time just now?!
The thought made him feel even more guilty. How could he have acted so impulsively?
Xiao Ying could tell that Lord Yuexi had finally understood what he meant, only to interpret it in the wrong direction entirely. He pressed a hand to his brow, feeling rather helpless.
“My visits to those places were merely a mask for my political enemies to see. When I first decided to take this path, I was still living in the palace. My mother consort strongly opposed it, and to persuade her, I had no choice but to agree to the conditions she set. It was not only to guard against being set up. As a prince, if I became excessively intimate with someone from the pleasure quarters, it could easily become a fatal weakness.”
Xiao Ying offered a brief, tactful explanation.
Hearing this, Lord Yuexi immediately understood Consort Wan’s good intentions.
Sincere feelings were hard to come by in the pleasure quarters. Beyond the political risks of being framed or blackmailed, her conditions were also a mother’s way of protecting her young son’s physical and emotional well-being, as well as his political security. They were the boundaries she had set to keep him safe.
Lord Yuexi could not help feeling apologetic.
“Then I have broken the agreement between Your Highness and Her Ladyship…”
“Not exactly broken,” Xiao Ying sighed deeply, interrupting his self-reproach. “But that is not the point I am trying to make.”
“What you said earlier—that even if you died, it would still be meaningful for me to clear the Wu family’s name—was not wrong. But to me, it means something entirely different.”
Xiao Ying looked at him with a steady gaze.
“What I truly want is for you to be alive to witness the Wu family’s vindication with your own eyes. I want you to reclaim the name ‘Wu Jiuling’ with your own hands and then walk openly and honorably along the path you truly wish to take. I told you before that you should give serious thought to your future and prepare for it, rather than remain trapped in a sea of blood and vengeance for the rest of your life.”
Lord Yuexi realized he had not a single word to offer in response.
“After what happened last night, Shuyu Pavilion is no longer safe. Someone has already found a way in—even your letters can be intercepted and replaced.”
Xiao Ying changed the subject and got straight to the point.
“For the time being, you will move into the prince’s residence. There is a separate courtyard behind the rear garden, and I have already ordered it cleaned and prepared. Its entrances and exits are discreet. Within the residence, only Chief Steward Lan and a handful of trusted confidants know about it. Your daily needs will be handled by two loyal attendants personally selected by Chief Steward Lan, so no one else will have access to you. If anything happens, someone will also escort you out through an escape route.”
“But what about Shuyu Pavilion…?”
“I have already asked Chief Steward Lan to make the necessary arrangements there.”
Xiao Ying regarded him seriously.
“I originally intended to arrange your redemption after the Wu family case was resolved. We are simply bringing that date forward. However, this will not be an ordinary redemption.”
Lord Yuexi was quick-witted and immediately understood.
Until the Wu family was vindicated, the authorities would not revoke Wu Jiuling’s registered status as a performer.
Even if Xiao Ying slapped ten thousand taels of gold onto the table, Shuyu Pavilion had no authority to issue a certificate restoring his commoner status on its own.
If the establishment released him recklessly, he would become an escaped servant in the eyes of the law. The authorities could arrest him at any time, and Shuyu Pavilion itself could face the death penalty for illegally releasing a state-registered servant.
They could only negotiate another arrangement, one that operated in a legal gray area.
“What I am buying now is not the restoration of your commoner status. I am buying you the right not to be purchased by anyone else before you regain it.”
Xiao Ying spoke clearly, one word at a time.
“I will pay the full redemption price in advance and ensure that all the necessary contracts are signed. On the day your family is vindicated, once the imperial decree or official document revoking your registered status arrives, you will be able to obtain your certificate of release and redemption contract through the proper channels and regain your status as a free commoner. Until then, you will still need to help maintain the illusion that ‘Lord Yuexi’ remains secluded in his private quarters at Shuyu Pavilion. To outsiders, we will continue to say that this prince has reserved you for a year.”
Lord Yuexi immediately understood Xiao Ying’s plan.
Since their opponents had already extended their claws into Shuyu Pavilion, remaining there would only leave him vulnerable and turn him into a target.
But erasing Lord Yuexi’s existence outright would alert the enemy.
Furthermore, Xiao Ying had originally allowed a year for the arrangement precisely to preserve his status as an untouched courtesan during that period, so that restoring his commoner status in the future would not leave too great a stain on his reputation.
Xiao Ying was secretly replacing one thing with another, removing him from the enemy’s field of attack while quietly disrupting their existing intelligence and assumptions.
“Yuexi… thanks Your Highness for this tremendous kindness.”
Lord Yuexi bowed deeply.
“I will certainly find a way to repay the redemption money in full someday.”
He did not want to owe Xiao Ying such an enormous debt of gratitude. Anything he was capable of repaying, anything he ought to repay, he would keep in mind.
Xiao Ying raised a hand to stop him. A familiar, carefree smile curved his lips.
“There is no need for that. If one day this prince becomes so poor that he cannot even afford a meal, I can always come to you for repayment then.”
Lord Yuexi’s lips lifted slightly at the casual joke. A faint smile appeared in his eyes, and he nodded.
“Very well. Yuexi will remember that.”
“During this period, I cannot allow you to move freely around the prince’s residence. You may only move about within the separate courtyard and the areas you are permitted to enter.”
Xiao Ying gave his instructions in a solemn voice.
“If you wish to leave the residence or visit Shuyu Pavilion, you must obtain permission from either me or Chief Steward Lan, and personal guards must accompany you. If you are required to appear at an event under the identity of ‘Lord Yuexi,’ you must cooperate as well. As for Shuyu Pavilion, to maintain the illusion that you are still living there, your original room and belongings must remain untouched. I will arrange everything you need here.”
“I shall follow Your Highness’s arrangements in all things,” Lord Yuexi replied with a nod.
“So,” Xiao Ying said, lightly tapping his fingers against the desk, “from today onward, in practical terms, you no longer belong to Shuyu Pavilion. Although you have yet to formally reclaim your real name, you are no longer Lord Yuexi, either.”
Lord Yuexi stared at Xiao Ying, a strange, unreal feeling rising in his heart.
Under the cold laws of the imperial court, he remained the son of a disgraced official and had not yet been released from his registered status.
Yet Xiao Ying had used his power and wealth to secure his future freedom in advance.
Three years of humiliation in the pleasure quarters had sculpted him into the aloof, proud Lord Yuexi that everyone knew.
He could barely remember what Wu Jiuling had once been like.
Xiao Ying noticed the confusion flickering through his eyes. He did not demand that Lord Yuexi transform himself overnight. Instead, he spoke gently.
“You still have plenty of time to think things through. I simply hope you will learn to value yourself more. From now on, you need not regard yourself as a ‘commodity’ to be bought and sold. Instead, learn to consider your future from Wu Jiuling’s perspective. Once everything is settled, wherever you wish to go, whatever you want to do, or even… whoever you come to love, I will never interfere.”
At this point, Xiao Ying added what seemed to be an offhand remark.
“As for kisses like the one earlier… you should save those for someone you truly love.”
Lord Yuexi stared at him blankly, his chest feeling as though something had lodged in it, leaving him unable to express the complicated emotions within.
…To reclaim his identity as Wu Jiuling?
It was not as though he had never dared to dream of it. But three years of cruelty and despair had long since worn away every hope he once possessed.
Again and again, he had allowed himself to hope.
Again and again, that hope had been crushed.
Eventually, he had become afraid to entertain even the slightest impossible fantasy.
Yet the man before him had carved a path into the sheer cliff face for him.
All he had to do was climb…
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Lan Ningcheng had finished his task and returned. From outside, he reported quietly, “Your Highness, the master of Shuyu Pavilion has arrived.”
Xiao Ying composed himself.
“Come in.”
The wooden door opened, and Lan Ningcheng ushered a man into the study before turning around to close the door again.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, of average height and a slender build, with a straight back and an air of calm elegance in every movement. His face had been exceptionally well cared for, with almost no visible traces of age. Only a few faint lines appeared at the corners of his eyes when he smiled, like delicate hairline cracks in porcelain. Rather than diminishing his beauty, they lent him a mature charm. His gaze was gentle, yet carried a keen intelligence and the polish of experience.
This man was none other than Yuheng, the master of Shuyu Pavilion.
Having been invited to the Prince Yi’s residence, Yuheng had dressed with meticulous care and formality. He dared not show even the slightest negligence.
“Your humble subject Yuheng pays his respects to Your Highness,” he said, stepping forward to bow respectfully.
“Master Yuheng, there is no need for such formalities,” Xiao Ying replied with a smile.
Xiao Ying had dealt with Yuheng several times when signing contracts and knew his background well.
In his youth, Yuheng had once been a celebrated beauty of the pleasure quarters. Through remarkable skill and shrewdness, he had bought back his own freedom and founded Shuyu Pavilion single-handedly. He was now a formidable figure in the capital’s pleasure trade.
Xiao Ying had summoned him for one reason alone: Lord Yuexi.
Lan Ningcheng stepped forward and presented the prepared documents to Xiao Ying.
He had already checked the terms repeatedly.
There were two sets of documents, each prepared in triplicate.
Xiao Ying casually handed one set to Lord Yuexi, who stood silently beside him.
“Review it carefully yourself, too. If you have any questions, raise them immediately.”
Lord Yuexi accepted the contract and examined it closely.
The first document was titled Advance Redemption Agreement.
It was a conditional redemption contract between Prince Yi’s residence and Shuyu Pavilion. It clearly stated Lord Yuexi’s redemption price and stipulated that Prince Yi’s residence would pay the entire sum.
“Shuyu Pavilion undertakes that, once the imperial court formally issues an imperial decree or official document revoking Wu Jiuling’s registered status as a performer, Shuyu Pavilion must issue a certificate restoring his commoner status and assist with the necessary deregistration procedures within three days. It may not delay the process, demand additional conditions, or raise the redemption price for any reason. Should it fail to comply within the prescribed period, Prince Yi’s residence shall have the right to take the individual away directly, and Shuyu Pavilion shall not obstruct it.”
Most extraordinary of all was a special clause appended to the end of the contract, written with the force of an iron law:
“Should the principal party to this agreement, Prince Yi, unfortunately pass away, die, or suffer any unforeseen and insurmountable misfortune, this agreement shall remain valid and in force and shall never be revoked. Shuyu Pavilion, having received the full redemption price, may not use the death of the principal party or the invalidation of the contract as grounds to retain Lord Yuexi for continued service or sell him to another party. Once the imperial court issues the document revoking his registered status as a performer, Shuyu Pavilion must still issue the certificate restoring his commoner status and release him unconditionally in accordance with this agreement. The Chief Steward of Prince Yi’s residence, or an executor designated by the prince’s will, shall be authorized to receive the document and complete the necessary procedures on his behalf.”
Lord Yuexi’s gaze fell upon the added clause, and his fingertips trembled.
Xiao Ying… while planning for his future, had even accounted for the worst possible outcome—that he himself might die. With this clause that remained binding even after death, he had firmly blocked off the final contingency.
He remembered that night, after Xiao Ying had fallen into the water. In the carriage, Xiao Ying had lain across his lap, his face so pale that all color had drained from it. Yet he had still spoken in that lazy, unhurried tone:
“If I truly meet my end, someone will go to Shuyu Pavilion to redeem you and restore your freedom. It is only that, without me, you will have to walk the rest of the road toward clearing your family’s name on your own.”
…Those words had never been empty promises meant merely to sound reassuring. Xiao Ying had genuinely arranged everything long ago.
At the time, Lord Yuexi had not believed him.
Now, every word was set down in black and white.
Yuheng’s eyes shifted slightly. He looked at Lord Yuexi, then at Xiao Ying, and sighed inwardly.
This prince’s actions toward Lord Yuexi had already gone far beyond ordinary convention.
Even Yuheng could not see through him. Was this genuine concern, or another means of winning someone’s loyalty?
If it was an act, it was almost too convincing.
If it was sincere, however, there was no trace of infatuation to be found in Prince Yi’s eyes.
No wonder Lord Yuexi was so confused.
The second document was titled Temporary Custody Agreement with Shuyu Pavilion. It stated:
“Lord Yuexi, originally registered in Li Province under the Wu family, bears the given name Wu Jiuling. Following a family calamity, he was entered into the registered performer class. He has now received redemption through the intervention of His Highness Prince Yi, and the full redemption price has been paid. However, as the official document removing his registered status has yet to be issued, he shall temporarily remain registered under this establishment. During this period, Lord Yuexi shall receive no outside clients, participate in no receptions or performances, and follow all arrangements made by His Highness Prince Yi.”
This temporary custody agreement served as Lord Yuexi’s protective talisman.
Should any powerful noble attempt to force him to receive clients in the future, Shuyu Pavilion would only need to produce this document. The other party would understand that Lord Yuexi was already under Prince Yi’s private protection and that rash action was inadvisable.
Lord Yuexi quickly finished reviewing both contracts.
For the first time, he saw the official price attached to himself as a commodity.
Three thousand five hundred taels of silver.
This enormous sum was the extraordinary price commanded by Shuyu Pavilion’s leading untouched courtesan.
It included the cost of three years of training, the commercial value of his reputation as the establishment’s star attraction, the business losses that would result from losing him, and the risks Shuyu Pavilion would incur by helping Prince Yi’s residence maintain the illusion.
The money would be enough to purchase a magnificent, generously sized mansion in one of the capital’s prosperous districts, or provide an ordinary family with decades of comfortable living.
Yet when he had first been sold to Shuyu Pavilion, his price had been little more than a hundred taels of silver.
It was a sum that he, as a male courtesan, would probably never have been able to accumulate through his own efforts in an entire lifetime.
His fingers tightened slightly around the contract.
“…Yuexi has reviewed it. I have no objections,” he said quietly.
Xiao Ying promptly took out the official seal of Prince Yi and solemnly stamped every copy of the agreement before signing his name.
Yuheng and Lord Yuexi then signed and affixed their fingerprints in the appropriate places.
Lan Ningcheng signed as the official witness and stamped the document with the seal of the Chief Steward’s office.
An agreement that marked a turning point in someone’s fate had been finalized swiftly and cleanly.
Having spent years navigating the pleasure trade, Yuheng had nevertheless never witnessed a redemption process so quick and decisive.
He had seen countless nobles spend fortunes on celebrated beauties, but he had never seen a prince treat someone of such low registered status with this degree of respect.
When Yuheng had first quoted the exorbitant price of three thousand five hundred taels, Xiao Ying had not even batted an eyelid. Unlike other wealthy patrons, he had made no attempt to haggle. He had merely said, “That seems appropriate for the leading courtesan of the capital’s finest establishment for male companions. It also reflects Lord Yuexi’s worth.”
Yuheng had once tentatively asked whether His Highness wanted a discount.
Xiao Ying had replied only, “As long as the price is reasonable, there is no need.”
Lan Ningcheng carefully put away the contracts and said to Yuheng, “The silver has been packed into chests in the courtyard. Once you have counted it and confirmed the amount, I will personally arrange a carriage and guards to escort you and the money safely back to Shuyu Pavilion.”
Yuheng hurriedly cupped his hands.
“Thank you for your trouble, Chief Steward Lan. I will provide the receipt for the redemption money as soon as I have finished counting it.”
Lord Yuexi clutched his copies of the Advance Redemption Agreement and the Temporary Custody Agreement tightly. The paper was light, but its weight in his heart was as heavy as a thousand jun.
The money had been paid. The contracts had been signed.
Xiao Ying had purchased his freedom in advance. All that remained was to wait for the day the Wu family was finally vindicated.
This agreement was the only light he could hold on to during the long wait.
It silently told him that someone had already walked the most difficult, blood-soaked part of the road on his behalf.
Only the final step remained.
For him, hope was little short of a miracle.
Now someone had kindled the flame of hope for him, yet he was almost too afraid to reach out and touch it.
He feared that the slightest careless movement might extinguish that faint light…
Xiao Ying looked at Yuheng and instructed him, “Master Yuheng, I will have to trouble you to cooperate with us at Shuyu Pavilion.”
“Your Highness may rest assured.” Yuheng inclined his head, then spoke solemnly. “This is only proper. Everyone at Shuyu Pavilion knows how to keep their mouths shut. We will maintain the illusion so flawlessly that not even a drop will leak through.”
His gaze turned cold.
“As for those ‘troublesome elements’ within the establishment, I have already cleaned house. If Your Highness has any other instructions, I will spare no effort in carrying them out.”
“Just do what you are supposed to do.” Xiao Ying waved a hand.
“Your humble servant understands.”
Yuheng knew all too well how the minds of powerful people worked.
If he meddled in matters he should not touch, he would lose his life—and Shuyu Pavilion would cease to exist.
From the very first contract he had signed with Prince Yi, he had understood that the supposedly idle and carefree prince known to the world was nothing more than a façade.
Having finished the official business, Xiao Ying turned and called gently, “Yuexi.”
Lord Yuexi came back to himself.
“Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”
He raised his head and met Xiao Ying’s gentle, accepting gaze.
“Go back to Shuyu Pavilion with the master later,” Xiao Ying instructed casually. “Pack anything you wish to take with you, along with any personal belongings that are especially important to you. Then return to the residence.”
Considering that Shuyu Pavilion had previously been infiltrated by the enemy, Xiao Ying gave Yuheng a special instruction.
“Please accompany him personally, Master Yuheng. Chief Steward Lan will also arrange for personal guards to secure the perimeter. His safety must be ensured.”
Lord Yuexi nodded slightly.
There were indeed several things left at Shuyu Pavilion that were of vital importance to him, traces of his past that he absolutely could not leave behind.
Besides the intelligence he had collected over three years, there was also… the jade flute Xiao Ying had given him.
Xiao Ying was deliberately giving him the time and space to say a proper farewell to the cage that had imprisoned him for three years, and to the humiliating identity of Lord Yuexi.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He drew a deep breath and bowed slightly. Some of the numbness that had long clouded his eyes had begun to fade.
“I will be back shortly.”
◇◆◇◆◇
The carriage departed from Prince Yi’s residence. Its wheels rolled over the capital’s stone-paved streets, producing a slow, steady rhythm.
The carriage curtains were half drawn, shutting out most of the noise from the outside world.
Lord Yuexi and Yuheng sat facing one another. Beside Yuheng lay the newly signed Advance Redemption Agreement and Temporary Custody Agreement.
To all the male courtesans at Shuyu Pavilion, Yuheng was both a strict teacher and something akin to a stern father.
He had taught Lord Yuexi the arts of the zither, strategy games, calligraphy, painting, reading people’s expressions, and navigating the complexities of human relationships. Lord Yuexi’s skill with the pipa had also been inherited from him.
Yet Yuheng’s teaching was never gentle. At times, it was almost cruel.
Over the past three years, he had been particularly strict with Lord Yuexi. Whenever the young man stepped out of line, Yuheng would personally take up the whip and show no mercy.
After each beating, however, he would personally apply the finest medicine to Lord Yuexi’s wounds, taking care to ensure that as few scars as possible remained on his body, lest his value as a commodity be diminished.
What Yuheng hated most was when the male courtesans under his care developed genuine feelings for their clients.
He always crushed the young men’s fantasies in the cruelest possible ways, because he understood better than anyone that when those illusory displays of tenderness shattered, it was always the helpless, lowborn individuals who suffered.
Whenever Yuheng threw a jar of ointment before a male courtesan, his eyes would be as cold as ice.
“I beat you because the world outside is even crueler than I am. Take one lash here, and you may spare yourself ten knife wounds out there.”
Yuheng regarded the people under his care as assets to be protected and managed.
Precisely for that reason, Shuyu Pavilion had ten times as many rules as any other establishment for male companions in the capital.
There were strict regulations governing when to rise, when to practice music, when to receive clients, how to respond to them, and even how to stand, sit, and walk.
If a male courtesan was lazy, lied, or offended a client, Yuheng would wield his whip without hesitation.
But if a client tried to abuse a male courtesan by throwing his power around, Yuheng would always stand tall and defend his people. In front of outsiders, he had never once backed down.
Because of these almost ruthless rules, Shuyu Pavilion stood apart from the rest of the capital’s pleasure trade. Incidents of courtesans attempting to flee, so common elsewhere, were rare there. Cases of male courtesans being beaten to death were rare as well.
Yuheng silently studied Lord Yuexi sitting before him.
Over the years, he had personally seen many people leave after buying back their freedom, and Lord Yuexi was undoubtedly one of the fortunate ones.
He was also the finest creation Yuheng had painstakingly shaped with his own hands, the work of which he was most proud.
Yuheng did not know the full extent of the political conspiracy, but he knew that Lord Yuexi had become entangled with Prince Yi because of the bloody tragedy that had befallen his family years ago.
A prince of such high standing who was even willing to respect the dignity of a male courtesan with registered servant status was undoubtedly a rarity in this world.
Yuheng could tell that Prince Yi was not a simple man, nor was he helping Lord Yuexi out of pure kindness.
In the imperial palace, people who were too simple or too kind rarely survived.
Yet the care and protectiveness Prince Yi showed toward Lord Yuexi were not entirely false, either.
Had it been an ordinary male courtesan, such tenderness and protection would probably have been enough to make him fall completely into the prince’s embrace.
But Lord Yuexi, sitting before him now, was clearly beginning to waver as well.
“Yuexi.”
Yuheng’s voice broke the silence inside the carriage.
Lord Yuexi returned to his senses and looked up at him.
“Every person who leaves my establishment receives one piece of advice from me: ‘Buying back your freedom does not mean you are free. It only means exchanging one cage for another.’”
Yuheng had witnessed too many tragedies involving people who thought they had finally been saved.
Some believed they had found a worthy partner, only to be neglected, abandoned, or even sold to someone else after a year or two—or sometimes after just a few short months.
Others had managed to make their own way in the world, only to discover how cruel it was. Years spent as male courtesans had warped their temperaments so thoroughly that they could no longer live normal lives.
Countless others had been deceived by sweet words, only to end up penniless and covered in injuries, stumbling back to Shuyu Pavilion in tears, begging to be taken in again.
Yuheng himself was someone who had escaped an old cage.
Yet after escaping, he had discovered in despair that the entire world was nothing more than one enormous prison.
So he had established a more orderly, more refined cage of his own, teaching these homeless young men how to survive.
He never offered those who left any false blessings. He gave them only the cruel truth: freedom was not necessarily real, but at the very least, they needed to understand where they were imprisoned and why.
“Your new cage is larger and more refined than the old one.”
Yuheng’s tone was calm, but his gaze cut straight to the heart of the matter.
“So refined that… you might almost fail to realize you are still imprisoned. Do not mistake being treated well by a good master for being free. After leaving one cage, you must still find a way to escape the next.”
Lord Yuexi’s hands tightened slightly beneath his long sleeves.
Yuheng made no attempt to soften the truth.
No matter how well Xiao Ying treated him, the moment this contract came into effect, Lord Yuexi and Prince Yi became inextricably bound together. The more secrets Lord Yuexi learned about the prince, the harder it would become for him to leave.
“Besides…” Yuheng turned to look at the falling leaves drifting outside the window. “His Highness is himself imprisoned in a gilded cage. He cannot even fly beyond the boundaries of this capital.”
Those words sent a shock through Lord Yuexi’s heart.
In the past, he had rarely stopped to consider Xiao Ying’s circumstances.
Whenever Xiao Ying was before him, he always appeared languid and carefree, as though everything were well within his control. His ease and gentleness had even allowed Lord Yuexi to briefly forget the bloody struggles raging within the imperial palace.
What he had seen was Prince Yi, surrounded by admirers and always several steps ahead of everyone else.
Yet Xiao Ying had calmly told him twice before how he had already arranged matters in the event of his own untimely death.
So the man who seemed so unconstrained was also carrying shackles that could crush him to pieces at any moment.
Yuheng withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at Lord Yuexi. For once, a trace of genuine warmth appeared in his eyes.
“In the past, I repeatedly warned you all never to develop feelings for your clients. It would only make your lives more miserable. But now… you are no longer a male courtesan of Shuyu Pavilion. And Prince Yi is someone who knows how to respect you. So you need to learn to adapt and think carefully about it—what is it that you truly want?”
“What I truly want…”
Lord Yuexi murmured the words under his breath, sinking into thought.
To clear the Wu family’s name and wash away its unjust accusations.
To find his younger sister, who had been lost among the common people.
To make the mastermind who had framed his family pay the price in blood for blood.
But… what would come after all of that?
Fragments of memories unrelated to revenge drifted through his mind.
A warm afternoon, sunlight spilling over the writing desk.
His younger sister’s carefree laughter echoing from the courtyard.
His elder brother secretly taking him to the Lantern Festival at night, with the entire street ablaze with lanterns.
Thousands upon thousands of floating lanterns drifting across the river, like stars that had fallen into the water.
The two of them being scolded together after they returned home.
And the melodious tune he had once learned to play on the flute, the same tune his father often played beneath the moonlight.
In the courtyard of their old home stood an ancient osmanthus tree. Every autumn, his mother would spread a white cloth beneath it and gently strike the branches with a bamboo pole. The blossoms would fall like rain, scattering across the cloth like a thin layer of golden dust.
His mother would sift the osmanthus flowers clean, mix them into glutinous rice flour, and steam them into osmanthus cakes.
When the lid of the steamer was lifted, the entire house would fill with their sweet fragrance.
Those scenes were now fragmented and blurred. He could barely remember them anymore.
—Why had his younger sister been laughing in the courtyard that day?
—Where had the lantern his elder brother bought him gone?
—He had not played his father’s flute tune for three years. By now, he had long since lost the melody.
—What had his mother’s osmanthus cakes tasted like?
He was afraid that when he finally found his younger sister, he might… no longer even recognize what she looked like.
What he truly wanted…
Had long since been lost to time and hatred.
Yuheng watched his bewildered profile, his gaze growing distant.
“I still remember what you looked like the year you were first bought by Shuyu Pavilion.”
Back then, Yuheng had been drawn to the young man’s exceptional looks and slender figure. More importantly, Wu Jiuling came from a distinguished family and had already received a proper education. He knew how to read and write.
But Wu Jiuling, having just endured the annihilation of his entire family, had shut himself off completely, as though he had already accepted death.
He neither spoke nor listened. He refused to look at anything, made no sound, shed no tears, and even refused to eat. He was like a broken wooden puppet that somehow continued to breathe.
It was only when Yuheng took a copy of the Book of Songs lying nearby and hurled it violently in front of him, asking coldly, “Can you read?” that the boy finally reacted.
The child slowly turned his eyes toward the book on the floor. Then, as though grasping at the last remaining strand of hope, he crawled over and picked it up.
He opened the pages and began reciting, word by word.
As he read, tears finally spilled from his eyes, and he broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.
At that moment, Yuheng understood that written words and books were the only fragments of the child’s soul that remained.
“I remember.”
A bitter smile touched Lord Yuexi’s lips.
“I still have that copy of the Book of Songs.”
At the time, his tears had soaked through the pages, leaving them stained and mottled. Yuheng had found the sight distasteful and tossed the book to him.
But it had been the only thing he could hold on to back then.
“It was only a book. Was it really that important to you?” Yuheng deliberately pressed him.
“My father held my hand and taught me how to write, stroke by stroke.”
Lord Yuexi’s voice grew softer as he spoke of memories he had never shared with outsiders.
“The contents of the books were taught to me, word by word, by the tutor at our residence.”
Those were the things the soldiers had not taken away when the Wu family estate was confiscated.
Lord Yuexi looked toward the carriage window, his gaze full of loneliness.
“My family produced several successful imperial examination candidates and vice ministers in earlier generations. By my father’s time, the family had fallen into decline. All that remained were the ancestral home, the family genealogy, and an official position that still carried some dignity. Back then, I secretly vowed to restore the family’s former glory, and I studied day and night. When I was thirteen, I finally passed the county and prefectural examinations, earning the qualification to sit for the next level of the imperial examinations…”
But he had not even had the chance to tell his father the good news in person before disaster came crashing down upon them.
He was reduced to the status of a registered performer, and his qualification to sit for the examinations was revoked. The thousands of books his family had collected vanished into nothing.
Over the years, he had continued saving money to buy books and poetry collections, but the purpose of his reading had been twisted beyond recognition.
He knew he would never again be able to enter the imperial examination halls. Now, he read only to become a refined, extraordinary courtesan at Shuyu Pavilion, one capable of appealing to celebrated scholars and high-ranking officials.
The sacred writings of the sages he had once treasured had become tools for winning fame and fortune in the pleasure quarters.
The poems he wrote served only revenge and scheming.
How pitiful. How laughable.
Even he himself had come to despise what he had become.
Yuheng studied him deeply.
“If one day your status as a free commoner is restored, and another opportunity appears before you… will you dare to reach for it?”
Lord Yuexi’s gaze faltered slightly.
In that instant, two clamorous voices erupted within his heart.
One screamed wildly of his longing to enter official service and restore his family’s former glory.
The other cruelly mocked his impossible dreams, reminding him of the three years of stains and humiliation he carried on his body.
He remembered how Xiao Ying had repeatedly forced him to think about his future and learn to value himself.
He seemed to have reached the very doorway.
Only one final step remained. He needed only to summon the courage to open the door.
But what lay on the other side? A new hell from which there would be no escape, or the future he had dreamed of for so long?
He would only know if he opened it himself.
Time and again, he would raise his hand, hesitate for a long while, and then lower it again.
Then he would deceive himself, saying that he could think about everything after the Wu family was vindicated.
Yuheng saw the struggle and heaviness in his heart. His voice was detached as he said, “This time, the cage is one you chose for yourself. But if you refuse to let go of the cage from your past, you will only imprison yourself in two cages at once. If you want something, you must fight for it through your own actions. You cannot simply wait for someone else to give it to you. Since you have already chosen to take the first step, you should go and see what lies at the end of the road.”
Lord Yuexi drew a deep breath, composed himself, and bowed solemnly.
“Yuexi will remember your teachings, Master.”
Yuheng gave an unconcerned laugh.
“Enough. From now on, aside from His Highness, there probably won’t be anyone else who can tell you what to do. Still… if one day you cannot find anyone to talk to, or you feel like being scolded, I will always be at Shuyu Pavilion.”
“Thank you, Master, for all your years of guidance and care. I will carry your kindness in my heart and never forget it.”
Lord Yuexi was sincerely grateful to him.
Had he been sold to another establishment for male companions back then, his life might have turned out very differently.
Though Yuheng had treated him with extreme strictness, he had also shown him a measure of kindness.
Otherwise, in the very first year after he had been presented to clients, he might already have been abused at will by some wealthy noble.
Of course, Yuheng had merely been waiting for a better catch to appear—and Xiao Ying had simply fulfilled his expectations.
“There is no need to be grateful.”
Yuheng waved a hand, his tone returning to its usual coolness.
“But if possible, you would do well not to come running back here too often. Once you truly regain your status as a free commoner, sever all ties with Shuyu Pavilion completely. Do not look back.”
“I…”
“All right, we have arrived.”
Yuheng interrupted the heavy atmosphere and lifted the carriage curtain to glance at the familiar street outside.
“Go and pack your belongings. Whatever you need to explain to the people under your care, make sure you explain it properly.”
Yuheng knew full well about the information Lord Yuexi had secretly gathered at Shuyu Pavilion over the years: news from the pleasure quarters, the comings and goings of officials, and old rumors.
But he had never investigated the major political cases that might lie behind it all.
Lord Yuexi’s life belonged to Lord Yuexi. Yuheng would not interfere excessively, so long as his activities did not seriously affect Shuyu Pavilion.
After all, Prince Yi was one of Shuyu Pavilion’s biggest patrons, and Yuheng could not afford to offend him.
Yuheng straightened his lapels, a shrewd smile curving his lips.
“As for me, once you have packed up and left… I need to go to the back room and count those three thousand five hundred gleaming taels of silver again. Perhaps I should consider opening a branch of Shuyu Pavilion.”
Watching Yuheng’s calculating, merchant-like expression, Lord Yuexi felt much of the heaviness that had weighed on his heart suddenly lift. He could not help letting out a soft laugh.