LNTSWJLY Chapter 48

Many times, gossip spreads faster than the wind.

Less than a day after Yu Zhi left the palace, the news had already spread throughout the capital.

Rumors in the streets said that the notoriously flirtatious heir of Prince Ying had fallen in love at first sight with a girl from Yangliu House. On the very first day of meeting her, he stayed alone with her in a room for half a day, even summoning a physician during that time.

Not long after their first meeting, the heir immediately entered the palace to request an imperial marriage decree, directly telling the Emperor that he wanted to marry this brothel woman as his wife.

The dignified heir of Prince Ying actually wanted to marry a woman from a brothel and even risked punishment and ridicule by personally going to the palace to request imperial permission.

Gossip involving love and romance was already the most powerful kind of gossip. In addition, this involved a dramatic high-status noble falls for a lowly commoner situation, and one of the people involved was the famously dissolute and carefree heir of Prince Ying.

Once the news broke, it immediately stirred the curiosity of countless men and women, young and old. With further rumors being pushed along by unseen hands, the story quickly swept across the entire capital.

Before Ying Qingzhu could even think of a countermeasure, he discovered that the matter had already become widely known, attracting the attention of the entire city.

Now things were troublesome, his plan of faking death was completely unusable.

Ying Qingzhu gritted his teeth. Thinking about how, no matter what simulation he tried, his second brother refused to rise made him hate Yu Zhi so much he almost wanted to bite him.

“Fourth sister, Fourth sister, are you there?” a bright voice called from outside the hall. Soon after, a young girl in a pink ruqun¹襦裙 (ruqun): A traditional Han Chinese dress consisting of a short top and long skirt dress walked in briskly.

Ying Qingzhu straightened the faded long dress he was wearing and stood up to greet her. “Fifth sister.”

The Fifth Princess looked at him with excited curiosity and said in a low voice, “Fourth sister, have you heard? That heir of Prince Ying is going to marry a brothel woman!”

Ying Qingzhu looked slightly surprised. “How could that be?”

The Fifth Princess proudly said, “I knew you hadn’t heard!”

“I really want to sneak out of the palace and take a look, just what kind of stunning woman could possibly make the famously worldly and experienced heir of Prince Ying fall for her, and even ignore status to insist on marrying her as his wife! She must be a breathtaking beauty, some kind of fairy descended from the heavens, right?”

The fairy smiled a little awkwardly, though she did not let the Fifth Princess notice. At this moment, he was the Fourth Princess. Because of a special medicinal ointment applied to his face, he looked thin, sallow, and yellowed like someone severely malnourished.

The Fourth Princess had always been an invisible figure in the palace. Everyone’s impression of her was that of a weak and timid princess. If not for the Fifth Princess occasionally bringing her along to various events, she might have already been completely forgotten.

Of course, the Fifth Princess did not bring her out of sisterly affection. Rather, she wanted the Fourth Princess’s ugliness and weakness to highlight her own bright beauty, while also earning herself a reputation for being kind and caring toward her sister—killing two birds with one stone.

Ying Qingzhu, however, did not reject this Fifth Sister’s closeness. After all, he also benefited from it. First, it gave him access to life inside the palace; second, she was a walking gossip distributor. He heard important or unimportant, big or small, useful or useless information from her, saving him a great deal of effort in gathering intelligence.

The timid Fourth Princess said softly, “You can’t just leave the palace easily… and th-that brothel… brothel places are also not somewhere you can go.”

The Fifth Princess frowned and said in distress, “What you’re saying makes sense… then I’ll have to think of another way.”

After thinking for a moment, her eyes suddenly lit up as inspiration struck.

“I’ve got it! If the marriage between her and the heir of Prince Ying really happens, then on their wedding day, we can go under the excuse of offering congratulations. When they’re having a wedding chamber prank²wedding night teasing tradition where guests play pranks on the newlyweds, we’ll be able to see her, won’t we?!”

Ying Qingzhu: “……” Damn it! Why have you never been this smart normally?!

“Also,” the Fifth Princess continued with shining eyes, as if she had already seen a wide and bright future ahead of her, “if she really marries the heir of Prince Ying, we can invite her to banquets in the future anyway. It’s not like we can just never see her again, right?”

Ying Qingzhu felt a tight blockage in his chest.

He felt that he could no longer sit and wait for things to develop. Otherwise, the situation would inevitably head toward a very different and uncontrollable direction.

After sending off the talkative Fifth Princess, Ying Qingzhu summoned a seemingly insignificant old servant woman responsible for rough work in the courtyard.

“Master,” a hoarse voice said, but it came from a young man hidden beneath the elderly disguise, an eerie contrast.

“Take my place for two days. I am leaving the palace,” Ying Qingzhu said.

The man naturally already knew about the rumors outside. “Yes.”

Unlike the Fifth Princess, many others had also heard this gossip, but they did not believe the matter was as simple as it appeared.

Although the heir of Prince Ying had always been an unquestionable wastrel, since he held that identity, his unusual behavior could not be taken at face value.

Whether he was deliberately hiding his abilities and plotting something, or whether he had been manipulated by someone else, there must be some hidden scheme behind it.

Now, everyone wanted to investigate the deeper truth behind this matter.

Unfortunately for them, they were destined to find nothing.

Because there was no conspiracy to begin with.

When the results of the investigation reached various households, many people frowned in suspicion.

“Could it really just be that he fell for a brothel woman that simply?”

At this point, their thinking finally aligned with the Fifth Princess. Just what kind of unmatched beauty could make the famously picky heir of Prince Ying take notice?

Then, people began investigating the brothel woman named Ying Feng. They only learned that she had entered Yangliu House as a child, but because of her plain appearance, she had never received any clients. No one expected that upon her first meeting with the heir of Prince Ying, she would capture his heart.

Everyone became even more confused. If she was truly plain-looking, how could she have possibly captivated him?

Driven by curiosity, some went to investigate Ying Feng’s appearance directly. Those who returned all felt as though their eyes had been assaulted and wished they would never set foot in Yangliu House again.

【It can’t even be called plain-looking, it can only be described as visually shocking!】

This was the official report given by those who gathered the information.

When pressed further, they explained that Ying Feng not only looked inappropriate, but also wore extremely heavy, ghost-like makeup. It was poorly applied and horrifying to look at, to the point that it made people want to gouge out their own eyes.

Everyone: “……”

So it wasn’t that the woman was an unmatched beauty that was rarely seen in the world, but rather that the heir of Prince Ying had a very unique taste, right?

No wonder that in all the past years, no matter how beautiful the women were, none of them had ever made the heir of Prince Ying settle down, yet he fell in love at first sight with this Ying Feng.

It must be that his taste was simply unusual. In the past, nothing matched his preferences, so he had always suppressed himself. Now, however, someone had perfectly matched his strange tastes and requirements, so he fell in love at first sight, and once it started, he could not stop. Look at this: he even went so far as to request an imperial marriage decree.

At this point, everyone more or less believed the surface truth: the heir of Prince Ying had fallen in love at first sight with a brothel woman and insisted on marrying her.

Of course, this was the truth to begin with.

………………

Yu Zhi stayed in Prince Ying’s residence in the capital for two days. Resisting the urge to go find Ying Qingzhu, he thoroughly investigated all the spies inside the estate. In the end, he discovered that aside from a few marginal servants or those doing rough labor who were relatively clean, most of the others were connected to various factions in one way or another.

Among them, the largest group were people arranged by the Emperor. After all, most of the household staff had been directly transferred from the inner palace by the Emperor himself.

Next were those from Prince Ying, who resided far away in Liyang. This was not surprising, after all, this prince had long harbored rebellious intentions. If one wanted to place spies, it was naturally best to place them directly inside Prince Ying’s own residence.

The first-generation Prince Ying had been a sworn brother of the founding emperor of Great Chu, who had followed him in conquering the empire and helping establish half the nation. After the founding of Great Chu, as the greatest contributor, he was granted the title of prince and even given the imperial surname—a supreme honor.

The first Prince Ying had also lived up to that trust. He never became overbearing due to his merits; instead, he remained obedient and steadily supported the emperor’s rule.

However, as time passed and generations changed, the later Prince Yings developed rebellious intentions, while successive emperors also grew unwilling to trust them. By now, the situation had reached a point where only a thin layer of paper separated both sides, and a war could break out at any moment.

After roughly understanding the distribution of power within Prince Ying’s residence, Yu Zhi did not act rashly. At this critical moment, every one of his actions was being watched by people in the capital. Any careless move could alert the enemy.

No matter what, he had to marry Ying Qingzhu first before doing anything else.

Yu Zhi once again arrived at Yangliu House and directly demanded the person from the matron.

The matron stomped her foot hard, forcing down the urge to throw him out, and put on a bitter smile as she came forward to greet him.

“Your Heirship has arrived! Yangliu House is truly honored by your presence!”

As soon as she said this, several patrons enjoying themselves turned their heads to look at Yu Zhi.

The gossip about the heir of Prince Ying over the past two days had already spread throughout the capital. Naturally, they were curious to see what kind of fool could do something so shocking.

Taking a brothel woman home as a concubine was already generous enough, but this man actually wanted to marry her as his official wife. If that wasn’t foolish, what was?

Yet when they looked over, they saw that this so-called fool had a face like jade and a transcendent, otherworldly aura.

Tch! So even being a fool now requires such high standards? You can’t even tell at first glance!

Many people were speechless in their hearts. Brother, with a face like yours, why bother marrying a brothel woman at all? Wouldn’t it be better to just look in a mirror? How could you let a brothel woman taint yourself like this?

Looking at Yu Zhi, many people suddenly felt that even the beauties in their arms were no longer appealing. They had become dull and uninteresting.

However, those who were stunned were not limited to them alone; even the courtesans from the brothel could not help but glance over in surprise.

Some of them had even interacted with the original owner before, and they couldn’t help but murmur,

“So the heir is actually this handsome? Why did he never feel this striking before?”

Nonsense, because the person before was the original heir, a hedonistic playboy who indulged in every pleasure, whereas now it was Yu Zhi.

A person’s character and inner essence can be reflected in their appearance. Even if it is the same body, the same face, a change in behavior and temperament will cause a noticeable shift in aura and presence.

Moreover, Yu Zhi had used these two days to recuperate his body and restore his energy. Naturally, his entire presence had undergone a dramatic transformation.

At this moment, Yu Zhi took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve and handed them to the matron. “This should be enough for her redemption price, I presume?”

Earlier, servants from Prince Ying’s residence had already come to deliver payment, but the matron had refused to accept it. Now that Yu Zhi had come in person, bringing with him gossip that had already spread across the capital, and with his name already recorded before the Emperor, the matron had no choice but to accept it.

She took the silver notes as if they were a hot potato, forcing a strained smile.

“Your Heirship, this way please. This old servant will go call Ying Feng at once!”

Yu Zhi entered the same room as last time. The furnishings were almost unchanged. He poured a cup of tea and sniffed it lightly.

It carried the usual aphrodisiac-like scent present in all drinks at Yangliu House, but there was no sign of the impotence drug from last time.

Yu Zhi slowly curled his lips into a faint smile.

Last time, his mind had been unsettled, which was why he failed to notice anything unusual in the drink. Thinking that the other person had also been forced to drink some later, sharing both good and bad with him, Yu Zhi felt that this temporary impotence did not matter much at all.

With that person accompanying him, everything was different.

But… that person must be furious by now, right?

After a short wait, the door was pushed open. A woman entered, dressed in the same clothing Ying Qingzhu had worn the last time Yu Zhi saw him. Even her shoes and makeup followed Ying Feng’s usual style. She walked in gracefully and hesitantly, approaching Yu Zhi.

“This servant Ying Feng greets the heir…”

Her build, voice, tone, clothing, and makeup were all identical. Yu Zhi silently assessed in his mind that this disguise could barely pass a passing grade, at most a barely acceptable imitation.

“You are not him. I want to see him. Go and bring him here,” Yu Zhi said. He did not raise his voice, nor did he show any obvious anger.

Yet for some reason, the woman felt a cold chill penetrate her body, making her shiver uncontrollably.

A failed attempt before even succeeding, she felt both anxious and afraid, yet still insisted,

“My lord… what are you saying? This servant… this servant is Ying Feng…”

Yu Zhi tapped lightly on the table. The wooden table under the cloth gave off a heavy, dull sound.

“I do not wish to repeat my words a second time.”

The woman’s heart trembled violently.

After a fearful glance at Yu Zhi, she hesitated for a moment before slowly retreating and leaving the room.

……………… 

In the adjacent room, Ying Qingzhu had just finished listening to the movements from Yu Zhi’s room when the impersonator Ying Feng walked in.

“Master, this servant has failed. Please punish me!”

Ying Qingzhu was also dressed in Ying Feng’s clothes and wearing the same makeup. It was clear he had never believed he could fully fool Yu Zhi, and had prepared a backup plan from the start.

However, he had not expected that the other party would discover it so quickly, without even truly interacting with the impostor, he had already declared she was fake at a glance.

This was beyond his expectations.

It seemed this man was far more familiar with Ying Feng than he had imagined.

“Your disguise didn’t pass. Go receive your punishment yourself.”

“Yes.”

Only then did Ying Qingzhu rise under the worried gaze of the matron and head to the next room.

The door was pushed open again. Yu Zhi looked up, and in the next instant, his eyes and brows naturally softened into a tender, lingering warmth.

“You’re here!”

He stood up to greet him, pulling Ying Qingzhu onto the chaise lounge. Yu Zhi sat on it, while Ying Qingzhu was drawn into his arms.

At a glance, Ying Qingzhu immediately recognized him, and his gaze flickered slightly.

“You… don’t you have anything to ask?” For example, about the person who was just here.

Yu Zhi did not answer. Instead, he took out a carefully wrapped oil-paper bundle from his sleeve, it was still warm. He opened it right in front of Ying Qingzhu. A sweet fragrance immediately spread through the air.

Soft, glutinous hundred-flavor pastries lay inside, their aroma so enticing it stirred one’s appetite almost instantly.

Ying Qingzhu swallowed unconsciously. “This is…”

“For you. Try it?” Yu Zhi smiled.

Several possibilities appeared in Ying Qingzhu’s mind.

First: the pastries were poisoned, and everything this man had done was just to harm him.

Second: the pastries were poisoned, and someone was using Yu Zhi’s hand to harm him.

Third: the pastries were not poisoned, he simply liked them and brought them for him.

Reason told him that the first two were far more likely. Yet instinctively, his feelings began to drift toward the third possibility.

Yu Zhi’s eyes moved slightly. Before Ying Qingzhu could raise his hand to take one, Yu Zhi was a step ahead. He took a piece, ate half of it himself, then held the remaining half to Ying Qingzhu’s lips.

“I feel that food I’ve already tasted might be even more delicious. What do you think?”

Ying Qingzhu’s palm tightened. He was extremely glad he was wearing makeup, otherwise Yu Zhi would have seen how red his face had become.

This man… this man was simply…

No matter how embarrassed or flustered he felt inside, Ying Qingzhu still ate the half piece of pastry.

Just one bite and he froze.

This taste… was even better than the imperial pastries in the palace.

Yu Zhi had personally made it earlier that day, so of course it was exceptionally delicious.

After that, Ying Qingzhu unknowingly finished the entire bundle of pastries. By the time he came back to his senses and felt a slight fullness in his stomach, only two pieces remained. He immediately felt a bit embarrassed.

“They’re all yours,” Yu Zhi said with a smile, reaching out to wipe the crumbs from the corner of Ying Qingzhu’s mouth.

Ying Qingzhu quickly regained his composure and shifted the topic, beginning to probe about the other party instead.

“Noble heir, do you not want to ask why it wasn’t this servant who came earlier?”

Seeing that he truly was no longer eating, Yu Zhi likely judged that he was full and casually set the oil paper and remaining pastries aside.

“There is nothing to ask,” he said.

“Nothing more than you being afraid, and unwilling to marry me.”

Ying Qingzhu’s eyes flickered. It seemed he had not expected Yu Zhi to be so direct, leaving his follow-up words stuck in his throat.

“You have also heard the rumors recently. You know who I am, don’t you?”

Ying Qingzhu slowly nodded. “You are the heir of Prince Ying… a noble lord.”

“Not so.” Yu Zhi lightly rested his head on Ying Qingzhu’s shoulder and closed his eyes, hiding the depth and gentleness in his gaze. Yet his voice remained endlessly tender.

“I am simply the person who loves you.”

Ying Qingzhu’s heart gave a sharp jolt. Panic surged up in him so strongly that he almost wanted to immediately stand up and break free from Yu Zhi’s embrace.

It felt as though he had been firmly locked onto by something terrifying, with no way to escape.

“But… But Your Heirship,” he forced himself to speak, “what exactly… do you like about this servant?”

Yes, what exactly made him like him?

Were the words “like you” really something that could be spoken so easily? Could such feelings truly arise so lightly and casually?

Thinking of this, Ying Qingzhu gradually calmed himself down.

Don’t be deceived by this man. He approached you with ulterior motives from the very beginning. If you believe him, you are walking straight into his trap.

“Affection… maybe it needs a reason,” Yu Zhi said slowly, “but it doesn’t tell me what that reason is. How am I supposed to know?”

“I only know that the moment I see you, I feel joy in my heart. And when I don’t see you, I miss you.”

“When we meet, nothing seems to happen; after we part, I keep thinking of you.” Ying Qingzhu blurted it out instinctively. The moment he finished speaking, he immediately regretted it.

Yu Zhi let out a soft laugh. “So it can be said like that as well. I understand now.”

Ying Qingzhu clenched his fist slightly. For some reason, he felt that this man was doing it on purpose.

“Noble heir,” he said, “this servant is merely a courtesan from a brothel. I am not worthy of the position of your wife. If you truly have any pity for me, I am willing to serve you with this lowly body. But talk of a proper marriage, please do not mention it again. It would stain your reputation.”

A trace of sadness appeared on Yu Zhi’s face. “Are you afraid of me? Or… do you not believe me?”

“I would not dare!” Ying Qingzhu immediately tried to stand and kneel, but Yu Zhi stopped him.

Holding him in his arms, Yu Zhi felt a sense of calm and reassurance. Even if the other person did not remember, even if his personality had changed, even if he did not like him right now… just holding him and looking at him was enough to make Yu Zhi feel at peace.

“When we meet, nothing seems to happen; after we part, I keep thinking of you”; it was not a lie.

“Then trust me,” Yu Zhi said.

His clear, elegant voice brushed against Ying Qingzhu’s ear. When it entered his hearing, Ying Qingzhu could even feel the warm breath brushing against him, carrying the other man’s body heat, so close that their skin almost touched.

“No matter what I say now, you likely won’t believe it. Then don’t listen. Don’t ask. Just watch.”

“I said I will marry you, then I will definitely marry you. No matter what it takes, it will be done.”

Ying Qingzhu’s heart trembled slightly, a faint chill rising within him. For some reason, he felt that these words carried an implication… or even a threat.

As if telling him not to act rashly, because no matter what he did, this man would still marry him anyway.

Ying Qingzhu felt, for the first time, that disguising himself as a woman was a terrible idea. Even if he were forcibly married, he would have no way to resist.

He frowned inwardly, annoyed. Why had things developed this way? Earlier, when he had met Yu Zhi as a princess, the man had clearly shown disgust, even openly disliking his appearance.

So why, when it became Ying Feng, was it suddenly love at first sight?

Could it be… could it really be as the rumors said that this man had some strange preferences?

Ying Qingzhu shivered violently.

For the first time, he actually felt a bit afraid of this man.

Clearly, he could handle schemes and conspiracies with calm ease, yet he was completely helpless against Yu Zhi?

So… is it true that intelligent people cannot deal with willful lunatics?

Yu Zhi could sense the changes in the muscles and breathing of the person in his arms, and roughly guessed what he was thinking. He merely smiled without saying anything.

Even if Ying Qingzhu did not believe him at this moment or perhaps did not even like him, it did not matter.

He did not care. After all, there was still a long road ahead.

After Yu Zhi left, the matron came in from the next room and asked worriedly, “Master, what are your plans?”

Ying Qingzhu withdrew the timid, self-deprecating expression he had shown in front of Yu Zhi, and instead became calm and deep in thought.

“Ying Feng cannot die without explanation.”

At present, the only solution was to make Ying Feng feel ashamed, unwilling to defile Yu Zhi’s reputation, and then, right in front of Yu Zhi, have her take her own life so that Yu Zhi could personally witness it. Only then could Yangliu House be completely cleared of suspicion.

But the difficulty was that Yu Zhi could instantly tell whether someone was real or fake. The method of using a substitute to die was impossible. He would have to handle it himself.

The matron immediately panicked upon hearing this. “Master, absolutely not!”

If anything went wrong, a fake death could easily become a real one. There would be no chance to regret it afterward!

But Ying Qingzhu frowned. “Do you have a better plan?”

The matron was left speechless. She did not.

But still…

“No need to say more. I have made up my mind.” Ying Qingzhu’s voice was low, clearly in a bad mood. After all, being forced into such a situation by that useless and frivolous heir, how could he possibly be in a good mood?

Even if that wastrel had become more good-looking, even if he… had become somewhat attractive, it could not erase the fact that he was still a wastrel.

………………

The next day, Yu Zhi once again entered the palace to request imperial permission for marriage.

As expected, he was rejected again.

A few days later, Yu Zhi went to the palace once more to ask for the marriage decree.

The Emperor flew into a rage, scolding him for being willful and reckless, bringing shame upon the noble houses, and ordered him to kneel outside the palace hall as punishment.

Yu Zhi knew inwardly that today was the day. So he naturally and without complaint went to kneel outside.

The ground had been scorched hot by the sun. Yu Zhi’s face turned red from the heat, and sweat dripped down one drop at a time, splashing onto the ground like scattered blossoms of water.

If not for the fact that he had been recuperating these past days, he likely would not have been able to endure the punishment.

Two hours later, the Emperor signaled his chief eunuch for a report. The eunuch respectfully replied, “The heir is still kneeling.”

The Emperor showed surprise and could not help but sigh, “I never expected it. This brat is actually a true love-struck fool?”

Though he still harbored some suspicion, much of it had been worn away after these repeated encounters.

He sneered coldly. “I wonder what Prince Ying would look like when he learns his legitimate eldest son is marrying a brothel woman.”

He took out the imperial jade seal and stamped it onto the already prepared decree.

“Go. Tell the heir that I cannot bear to see him tormented by love, so I permit it.”

It was not that he did not want to stop it. It was just that Yu Zhi was too stubborn. This could not be blamed on him.

Naturally, the decree would not be issued immediately on the spot. It had to wait until the next day; after all, even acting required full performance.

Once Yu Zhi received the confirmation, he left the palace without hesitation and waited for the marriage decree the next day.

The following day, the imperial decree-carrying eunuch first arrived at Prince Ying’s residence. Yu Zhi accepted the decree and then followed the group of eunuchs to Yangliu House.

In the daytime, the usually quiet pleasure district already had many people peeking out, secretly gathering to watch the commotion.

The matron received the news and immediately shouted toward Ying Qingzhu, “They’re here! They’re here!”

Ying Qingzhu asked, “What’s here?”

The matron, slightly out of breath, replied, “The decree… the imperial decree has arrived!”

Ying Qingzhu froze for a moment, then quickly rushed to the room facing the main entrance upstairs. He pushed open the window and looked down, at a glance, he immediately saw that man standing among a group of blue-robed eunuchs.

Dressed in white robes, he looked elegant and otherworldly, untouched by dust.

The other party also seemed to sense something and raised his head. Their eyes met across the distance with Ying Qingzhu.

Yu Zhi smiled faintly, the corners of his lips lifting. He moved his lips slightly and silently spoke a few words.

At that moment, Ying Qingzhu’s heart could not help but beat violently.

Even though the sun was blazing overhead, even though midsummer had already arrived, it felt as if he could smell a few strands of cool breeze, wrapped with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, with a bright moon beside him.

He heard it.

He saw it.

That was—

“Trust me. Marry you.”

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• 1
  襦裙 (ruqun): A traditional Han Chinese dress consisting of a short top and long skirt
• 2
  wedding night teasing tradition where guests play pranks on the newlyweds