In his previous life, this Courtesan had always wanted to devour him. Every time they met, she practically pounced on him. Why was it the same way now, the very first time they met after his rebirth?
“A beautiful night and a perfect moment mustn’t be wasted. Tonight, let me serve you well, Young Master.”
“The Prime Minister has already instructed me that if you ever came to Bianjing, I must take good care of you. I wouldn’t dare disobey.”
“Young Master, the night is deep… let us rest now.”
Yu Youwei’s fragrant breath blew gently across Lin Ce’s face. At this moment, any man in the world would find it impossible to resist such temptation. With her soft voice, innate charm, and flawless beauty, Yu Youwei was the epitome of seduction. No one would willingly refuse her at a time like this.
Lin Ce didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Thankfully, he already knew what kind of woman Yu Youwei was in his past life.
Though she looked seductively irresistible, during all the years she had worked as a Courtesan, she had remained untouched. Relying entirely on her natural allure, she made men lose their minds and follow her every word without ever laying a hand on her. No one had ever dared to say no.
“I’m here because I need something from you,” Lin Ce said with a serious expression.
His Frost Marrow Curse was acting up, and with the fifteenth nearing, the excruciating pain in his body helped him suppress Yu Youwei’s seduction.
“Young Master, how could you be so cruel? Can’t you see how much I’m burning inside? Let’s talk about it later…” Yu Youwei’s hands moved like serpents, sliding over Lin Ce’s chest. With a flick of her fingers, his robe was undone.
Her hand moved lower, clearly impatient.
But Lin Ce suddenly grabbed her wrist, his eyes calm and clear.
Yu Youwei was shocked. No man had ever stayed conscious under her charm. None. Not a single one.
Lin Ce was the first.
“Get up,” Lin Ce said coldly. The chill in his voice made it clear she couldn’t push any further. She stood up, withdrawing all seductive pretense. Now, without the illusion of allure, she looked rather plain. Compared to Su Nanqiao, she was no competition.
After tidying his clothes, Lin Ce said sternly, “Were you just entertaining Xue Yuzhang?”
Hearing that, Yu Youwei quickly put on a pitiful face and explained, “Ah, so that’s why you’re angry. You think I was with someone else. Please be assured, Young Master—Yu Youwei was born yours, and even in death, I’ll remain yours. I would never give myself to anyone. Everything I’ve done is just to survive in Bianjing.”
“Young Master, I’m still a virgin. From the moment I became the Lin family’s secret agent, I knew my entire life belonged to you.”
After she finished, Lin Ce rubbed his temples in frustration.
He didn’t know how his grandfather trained her, but he had somehow turned Yu Youwei into this.
Lin Ce knew a bit about her background—she likely came from the former dynasty, but her exact origins were unclear.
“I came to see you about two things,” Lin Ce said, clearing his throat. “First, I need to get into the Directorate of Astronomy—or you need to help me obtain the Mountain Lord’s Blood.”
After his rebirth, Lin Ce knew how to suppress the Frost Marrow Curse, but the necessary materials were extremely rare. He could only count on Yu Youwei. She had many connections and might have alternative channels.
“The Directorate of Astronomy isn’t easy to approach. Those people are detached from the world and never come to the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion,” Yu Youwei said with a shake of her head after some thought.
Everyone in the Directorate treated women like walking corpses. They stayed far from worldly pleasures, and Yu Youwei had no way to reach them.
“Even you can’t do it?” Lin Ce frowned.
“But I do know the Chief Eunuch of the palace,” Yu Youwei replied with a sly smile. “That eunuch comes to the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion quite often.”
Lin Ce was surprised.
A eunuch?
What would a eunuch be doing here?
This place was meant for real men. What could a man who faked even his beard be doing here?
Seeing his confusion, Yu Youwei giggled. “That one is especially fond of a girl named Lü Ying. She’s one of the top-ranked girls here.”
Hearing this, Lin Ce’s expression darkened.
“The second matter I wanted to talk about also involves Lü Ying,” Lin Ce said in a low voice. “She tried to assassinate me just now.”
Yu Youwei nodded slightly.
As the head Courtesan of the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion and the Lin family’s planted spy, she knew everything that happened under this roof. The assassination attempt had already been reported to her. Even Su Nanqiao’s sudden appearance in Lin Ce’s room had been secretly arranged by her.
Here in the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion, she was in control.
Seeing that Yu Youwei wasn’t surprised at all, Lin Ce grew more suspicious. “Aren’t you even shocked?” Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
“With your great fortune, Young Master, someone like Lü Ying could never take your life,” Yu Youwei said with a giggle. Then she added, “Lü Ying’s father was Lü Haoguang, the Minister of Jiangnan Circuit. He was Lin Xiang’s most prized student.”
“He was implicated in the Old Grain Transport Case and executed along with his entire family. Lü Ying and her sister Lü Yuan should’ve been exiled to the border army, but I intercepted them.”
“Not just them—every woman who was supposed to be exiled because of that case has been brought here by me.”
Hearing that, Lin Ce took a deep breath.
He had thought those women who treated him kindly earlier were just trying to survive, relying on his silver to make a living.
Now it seemed they probably wished they could skin him alive.
“So all of them want to kill me?” Lin Ce asked with a chill crawling up his spine.
“You’re overthinking it. They haven’t been here long. They don’t even know it was the Lin family that saved them. Give me a little time, and I’ll retrain them all for you,” Yu Youwei said with a small bow.
To survive in Bianjing, sacrifices had to be made.
Joining the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion was the price those daughters of convicted officials had to pay. Yu Youwei wasn’t merely a Courtesan—she had secretly trained many women for the Lin family to gather intelligence.
For those girls, getting into the Fragrant Butterfly Pavilion was already a stroke of fortune.
The women here were ranked A, B, C, and D. Those in categories A and B didn’t have to sell their bodies—unless they chose to.
“You’re playing with fire,” Lin Ce said as he took another deep breath.
He could see the hatred in Lü Ying and Lü Yuan’s eyes. They hated him to the bone. Could such people really be turned?
And knowing his grandfather’s temper, if he found out these girls had tried to assassinate his grandson, their fate would be tragic.
“This world isn’t the only place where you walk on thin ice, Young Master,” Yu Youwei said softly. She stood by the window, quietly gazing at the reflection of the city’s brilliance on the water. To her, it was nothing more than an illusion—like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water. Beautiful, yet forever out of reach.
“I’ll do my best to get you the Mountain Lord’s Blood,” Yu Youwei said with a smile. Then her gaze sharpened suddenly. “But you must promise me one thing, Young Master.”
“Speak,” Lin Ce said, confused. He caught a flicker of deep hatred in her eyes, though it vanished quickly.
“If one day you hold real power, help me kill the Emperor.”