Ning Huan did not pay any attention to the commotion outside. He didn’t take it to heart at all, simply lying on the soft couch with his eyes closed, listening to Lady Yingying play the zither.
He loved any beautiful musical sound, whether it was the chirping of birds outside the window in late spring or the sound of cold autumn rain tapping on withered lotus leaves. Any pleasing sound could slowly tap open the doors of his heart.
He suddenly remembered that Mu Jinyu’s voice was also quite pleasant—deep and magnetic.
Lady Yingying did not know if this immortal-like young master had fallen asleep. The other party was cold and beautiful, as if a handful of ice and snow had gained a soul. He was like a white-furred fox in the snow—lacking the fox’s cunning, yet possessing all of its elegance.
As she watched Ning Huan, she unconsciously played a wrong note. Ning Huan’s indifferent eyes opened accordingly, though he said nothing. He only took a sip of tea to lightly moisten his lips.
After Mu Jinyu had finished causing enough of a scene in the brothel, it was naturally time to return. He had smashed several things, and the madam of Zuihua Building came up to ask for payment.
As they passed Ning Huan’s private room, Mu Jinyu heard a burst of pleasant zither music. He stopped in his tracks and glanced back. “Who is playing the zither?”
The madam of Zuihua Building quickly replied, “It is Lady Yingying. Just now, an immortal-like young master arrived. He didn’t ask about the price at all; he only said he wanted the lady with the best zither skills and the best voice to come over. This young master has a very unfamiliar face, yet his entire aura is extraordinarily noble.”
The madam was well-traveled and experienced. There were practically no young masters from powerful or wealthy families in the capital who didn’t visit brothels. Even the “clean” ones who didn’t like such places would usually come to sit in Zuihua Building for a while, as the talent and beauty of the ladies here were second to none.
Her news was exceptionally well-informed; she was familiar with many faces and identities. Just moments ago, she had been smiling flatteringly behind Mu Jinyu while indirectly asking for the debt, but now her expression grew more serious. She lowered her voice and said, “Judging by his aura, even if he isn’t a favored young prince from a noble house, he must be the highly favored legitimate son of a powerful official—someone whose family previously kept him under strict control and wouldn’t let him out.”
Mu Jinyu pushed open the door, intending to pretend he had accidentally entered the wrong place. However, the moment he looked up and saw the stunning youth propping his chin on the couch, his expression changed instantly.
His gaze darkened, and his icy eyes swept over Die Qing, who stood with her back straight and her face and hands blackened with ash.
Lady Yingying, seeing someone enter, did not stop her playing. The flowing zither music continued to echo in the spacious and warm room. Ning Huan sensed that something was wrong and abruptly opened his eyes.
His mind went blank for a moment. He had not expected that the “star of ill omen,” Mu Jinyu, would also be here.
But since he was already here, Ning Huan could only remain calm.
At this moment, Lady Yingying finally recognized the Crown Prince. Sweat instantly broke out on her forehead, and she struck another wrong note.
Mu Jinyu glared at her. “You’ve played wrong notes! Do you still want to continue? It’s horribly unpleasant to the ear!”
Yingying hurried to her feet and knelt. “This slave is stupid.”
Ning Huan shook his head. “It is no matter.”
Mu Jinyu stared at him fixedly. “Why would you appear in a place like this?”
A faint smile hooked the corners of Ning Huan’s lips. “The Crown Prince’s manor was too boring, so I changed my clothes and came out for a stroll.”
Mu Jinyu continued to watch Ning Huan. Finally, he let out a cold snort and shifted his gaze back to Yingying, glaring at her fiercely. “Why have you stopped? Keep playing!”
Yingying’s legs went weak with fear from Mu Jinyu’s glare. She was truly terrified; the Crown Prince’s expression was so hideous it looked as though he wanted to strangle her alive—in fact, the Crown Prince was fickle and violent, and he truly would do such a cruel and cold-blooded thing.
Her hands trembled as she touched the zither, hitting several wrong notes at the very start.
Mu Jinyu coldly pinched Ning Huan’s chin. “Does this sound good? Does it sound good? DOES IT SOUND GOOD?”
Ning Huan saw that the Prince’s lungs were practically about to explode with rage, yet he didn’t understand where Mu Jinyu’s anger was coming from.
He hadn’t provoked Mu Jinyu in the manor; he hadn’t made a scene like the original owner of the body would have; he had even cured Mu Jinyu’s injuries. Just because he came out to hear someone play the zither, the man was this angry? Or was it simply that Mu Jinyu was having another fit of madness?
He gripped Mu Jinyu’s wrist and pressed down several times with his fingertips. “Let go.”
Mu Jinyu didn’t want to let go at all.
He hadn’t even left for the war yet, and Ning Huan was already visiting brothels. If he left, wouldn’t Ning Huan bring people directly into the house?
Mu Jinyu looked at Yingying, his eyes flashing blood-red. “She played wrong notes. I’m unhappy listening to it. I want to kill her.”
Ning Huan’s expression shifted slightly. He finally truly felt that Mu Jinyu was not a normal person. The insane things Mu Jinyu would do after taking power in the later stages of the book could already be seen here.
The man was completely cold-blooded; he likely had not taken any of Ning Huan’s previous gestures of goodwill to heart. Furthermore, Mu Jinyu’s schemes were not shallow; he probably suspected Ning Huan was the Emperor’s spy and wanted to kill this courtesan to intimidate him.
Ning Huan pried his hand away. “What are you listening for? Don’t kill her. I’ll play for you. I certainly won’t play wrong notes, and I’ll make sure you’re happy listening.”
Mu Jinyu said, “Play ‘The Phoenix Seeks His Mate’ (Feng Qiu Huang).”
Ning Huan glanced at Lady Yingying. “Leave.”
Yingying, having escaped certain death, was as pale as paper. She hurriedly performed a salute and retreated.
Ning Huan sat at the zither table. He lowered his eyes and plucked the strings to tune them. Mu Jinyu took the cup Ning Huan had been using to drink water and poured himself a cup of tea.
Having lived for many years, Ning Huan never thought he would be playing “The Phoenix Seeks His Mate” for a madman. However, once the piece ended, Mu Jinyu didn’t make any more trouble. He only kept looking at Ning Huan’s face—staring without even blinking—until Ning Huan suspected there was something on his face.
When they went out, the madam of Zuihua Building chased after Mu Jinyu for payment. A-Xi impatiently tossed a gold ingot to her. The madam’s face broke into a joyous smile, and she quickly bit the gold ingot. Ning Huan watched as the money went from one hand to the other. He hooked his lips and said, “The Crown Prince is quite generous. You even have spare cash to visit brothels. Having spent so much, which lady did you book?”
Mu Jinyu froze, suddenly feeling guilty. He didn’t know how to explain.
Ning Huan gripped his hand-warmer and walked ahead quickly. “The Crown Prince should go sleep with the lady you booked tonight.”
Mu Jinyu quickly chased after him. “I didn’t sleep with them! The ones here don’t sell their bodies! Besides, what could I do in just a few hours?”
“I really didn’t do anything with them! I am still a virgin!”
“Hey! Huanhuan, wait for me!”
In the palace, the Emperor naturally heard half of the story—that the Crown Prince had made a great scene at Zuihua Building, smashed some things, paid a gold ingot, and fought with someone over a courtesan.
While the eunuchs were recounting these events, Noble Consort Shen was also by his side.
Over the years, Noble Consort Shen had guessed the Emperor’s secret anxiety. She had always hoped that the son she bore, Prince Yue, could be established as the Crown Prince. Logically speaking, no one knew whose seed Mu Jinyu was; since Prince Yue looked so much like the Emperor, any normal person would have deposed the Crown Prince and established Prince Yue instead. But the Emperor had never made a move.
Even though the Crown Prince had defied the Emperor in his marriage and now caused a scene in a brothel.
The Emperor walked along the path, his gaze sweeping over the frozen lake. He gave a faint smile. “Jinyu still can’t keep his composure. He is too young and needs more tempering.”
Too young, always irritable, without a shred of scheming. The Emperor wanted to kill the Crown Prince, yet he didn’t want to kill him just yet. He was hesitating over whether to move this chess piece, so he hadn’t yet begun to torture him to death.
If the position of Crown Prince were to become vacant, the princes and kings below would inevitably fight for it. If Prince Yue were established as the Crown Prince, now that the Shen family had risen again, the Emperor also worried that the Shen family would harbor ulterior motives.
But in a vague way, the Emperor couldn’t help but wonder if Mu Jinyu’s madness was an act. If the other party were deliberately acting this way to make him let down his guard, it would be far too deep.
He couldn’t say who Mu Jinyu looked like, nor could he say whose seed Mu Jinyu was. The late Emperor was weak and handsome; the current Emperor was cold and cruel. Mu Jinyu had neither brains nor finesse—which was like the late Emperor; yet his joy and sorrow were all displayed on his face, and his heart was cold and tyrannical—which was like the current Emperor. If he was like both, whose child was he?
Whether he was his own or not, if Mu Jinyu had shown even a bit of ambition or finesse over the years, the Emperor would have already killed him behind the Empress’s back.
Noble Consort Shen carefully echoed him: “Yes, sending the Crown Prince to the northern border to fight is perfectly appropriate. It’s a good chance to temper him; acting out in the capital all the time is truly unbecoming.”
The two met in the garden. Newcomers had entered the harem, and the Emperor quite liked them. Noble Consort Shen still wanted to bring the Emperor to her own palace.
However, the Emperor’s gaze turned toward the direction of the Empress’s palace. “The Empress is unwell. I will go see her.”
The smile on Noble Consort Shen’s face slowly vanished, and her expression grew more and more rigid.