The empress was gone, the emperor brother was gone, and she was no longer a princess, but a lowly prostitute, bullied by everyone.
Lian Yin’s lips curved into a chilling smile. She quietly got off the couch, preparing to leave. She thought Changsun Yin had summoned her only to satisfy his lust. Unexpectedly, as she walked towards the door, the person on the bed spoke coldly.
“I summoned you to do something.”
The person at the door did not move, but at least stopped.
Changsun Yin narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly said, “Do you recognize the courtesan on the high platform today?”
Lian Yin frowned and thought for a moment. Frankly, she hadn’t paid much attention to anyone else. How would she know who the courtesan was? Besides, wasn't that person’s face veiled? What did he mean by asking this?
“I don’t recognize her.”
She said coldly, opening the door to leave. On the couch, the man spoke coldly, “You dare.”
She froze in place. This man had once broken her leg bone for disobedience. Although it was healed later, the brutality remained fresh in her memory, so it was better not to provoke him. xxs1
“Go to Chunfeng Tower and say you are visiting her. See who she is, and then report back to me.”
After Changsun Yin finished speaking, he pulled the thin quilt on the couch over himself and closed his eyes, ignoring the person at the door.
Lian Yin opened the door and walked out, heading towards her own room. She changed into a different set of clothes, went downstairs, and led a few escorts to Chunfeng Tower.
At Chunfeng Tower, Qing Yao handed the prize money, one thousand taels of silver, to the madam. She said lightly, “This is for you. Take it.”
“Thank you, miss. Thank you, miss.”
The madam, blinded by money, thanked her profusely. No one in this world disliked money. However, she had another matter to attend to: “Miss, look at my poison.”
“Here,” Mu Qing Yao flicked her wrist, throwing a pill into the madam’s hand.
The madam’s eyes lit up with joy. She immediately swallowed it, but then another voice chimed in, “This antidote must be taken in two doses. The other half will be given to you after I’ve finished my business.”
The madam’s happy face immediately fell. She pleaded repeatedly, “My dear young lady, whatever you want to do, please don’t harm me.”
“It’s nothing major. You can go now.”
Qing Yao was too lazy to bother with the madam’s changed expression. She waved her hand, signaling her to leave. The madam wanted to say something but dared not. She could only retreat. Only when she reached the doorway did she dare to stomp her foot and mutter, “How did Master get to know this woman? He’s truly a match for me, neither of them is a pushover.”
In the room, Qing Yao removed her veil and sat at the dressing table. She took off the rhinestones from the corner of her eye and turned to look at Mochou behind her. She saw that the girl had been lost in thought since returning.
“What’s wrong?”
“Is that woman Princess Ru Yin? I mean the Qing guan from Xiuhua Tower. Why does she look so much like the princess? Didn’t the princess marry into Wanhe Kingdom as an imperial concubine? How did she become a young courtesan in a brothel?”
“It’s likely her.”
Qing Yao nodded. Today, she had seen clearly. That woman was indeed Ru Yin. Even if others tried to imitate her, they couldn’t replicate that innate nobility, nor that arrogance.
“Is this retribution?”
Mochou recalled how she used to deliberately oppose them. But now she was suffering like this. Was it heaven’s will, or her own doing? But why didn’t she return to Xian Yue Kingdom?
“She is a princess, after all. Why doesn’t she go back?”
“Perhaps she cannot. Since Shangguan Hao dared to sell her here, he must have people watching her. If she runs back, it would not benefit their Wanhe Kingdom. There is another possibility: she harbors hatred. She hates the Emperor because her birth mother, the Empress Dowager, is gone, and her full brother was also killed. If Shangguan Hao didn’t tell her, wouldn’t she hate him? Therefore, she doesn’t go back.”
Anyone would hate such a situation. From her perspective, perhaps she didn’t believe that King Beijin rebelled, or that the Empress Dowager had ambitions. She only thought that the Emperor could not tolerate the royal bloodline, so he killed his siblings.
How could she not hate? She would rather die outside than go back. And if she died, she might be unwilling to accept it, so she lived on with hatred, perhaps waiting for an opportunity for revenge, or perhaps not.
Thinking of revenge, Qing Yao suddenly thought of Changsun Yin. Changsun Yin had specifically sent down a red card today, likely with another purpose.
Could it be that he suspected her? Thinking of this, if it were true, he would definitely send someone to investigate. If he really sent someone, who would he send? If Xiuhua Tower was his base of operations, then he would definitely send Ru Yin.
Thinking of this, Qing Yao’s expression darkened, and a chill emanated from her. It seemed she had to proceed with caution. Ru Yin had lived with them for a long time. If she wasn’t careful, she might reveal clues.
“Master, what happened?”
Mochou saw her master’s displeased expression and asked worriedly.
Qing Yao spoke calmly:
“I need to disguise myself. No one in this establishment has seen me, so I’m not afraid of being exposed. I think Changsun Yin will definitely send Ru Yin to investigate later. His sudden appearance today likely means he already suspects me, which is why he used the opportunity of sending the card to probe me. I heard that Changsun Yin is generally suspicious, so we must be careful. This hurdle with Ru Yin won’t be easy. You two must not speak carelessly.”
“Yes, Master.”
The two responded cautiously.
Mo You didn’t care, but Mochou had to be careful. Mu Qing Yao turned and beckoned to Mochou to come forward. She rearranged her appearance, drawing her eyebrows heavily, styling her bangs into a fringe, applying rouge to her cheeks, and making her lips bright red. The whole person looked vulgar and old-fashioned, fitting the appearance of a brothel maid.
And Qing Yao was afraid that even with her disguise, Ru Yin might see through it. Therefore, she waved her hand, signaling Mochou to prepare some egg whites and flour.
Mochou didn’t know what she intended to do. As a result, she mixed the egg whites and flour together into a paste and applied it all over her face, leaving only her eyes and mouth exposed. Her original appearance was completely unrecognizable. The two stared in astonishment.
“Master, what are you doing?”
“Doing a facial mask,” Qing Yao said plainly. Now, no one would recognize her, right? She leaned back on the chaise lounge, fanning herself occasionally.
“Facial mask,” Mochou and Mo You looked at each other. They had never heard of such a thing. What was a facial mask for? Why pile food onto one’s face? Master’s actions were sometimes truly peculiar, but they dared not question her.
The room was tidied up, and then they heard the voices of a young maid outside: “Miss, Lian Yin from Chunfeng Tower requests an audience. Should Miss see her or not?”
Qing Yao waved her hand, signaling Mo You to speak. Mo You quickly said, “Master is doing a facial mask. Let her come in.”