Xiangsi Garden.
"You! What are you doing?" Liu Xiang'er, wearing a thin shirt with her hair slightly disheveled, jumped off the couch and looked at the two strange men on either side, who were escorting Xiao Chu. She angrily stepped forward, tugging and wrestling with them. "Where did you come from? Let him go!"
"Miss Liu, letting Xiao Chu go might not be possible!"
While Liu Xiang'er was still struggling, she heard voices outside the room and stopped her actions, looking towards the doorway.
A man in black fitted clothes, holding a long sword, strode in. Following him was the madam of Xiangsi Garden.
Liu Xiang'er glanced at the madam with a cold laugh and said, "So you're the thugs the madam found!"
Lin Jin, who was almost in front of Liu Xiang'er, heard her words and his body trembled slightly. He... When did the First Guard of Prince Xian's mansion become a pimp's thug?
Liu Xiang'er didn't notice Lin Jin's expression and looked at the madam behind him. "Madam! My contract clearly states that I only sing and don't sell myself. What I do with someone is none of your business, let alone now, in broad daylight, the pleasure house isn't open for business yet. I..."
She had only spoken halfway when she saw a familiar male figure following behind the madam. She froze. By the time she reacted, Liu Xiang'er had already rushed to the bedside, thrown on a plain outer garment, and bowed to the man, "Young Lord!"
Lu Wuxie glanced indifferently at Liu Xiang'er, his gaze landing on the red marks on her neck.
Liu Xiang'er seemed to sense it too, tightening the collar of her garment.
"Miss Liu, there's no need to hide it. I don't care how you debase yourself," Lu Wuxie said calmly as he sat at the round table. He picked up the inverted cups on the table and poured two cups of water, placing one in front of another person who had accompanied him.
Liu Xiang'er quietly looked up at Lu Wuxie, recalling that just a few days ago she had appeared pure and aloof in front of him, yet today she was so disheveled. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, wanting to explain something, but her gaze suddenly fell upon a woman in fitted clothes beside him.
The woman looked indifferent, her eyes like ice, and her peerlessly beautiful face carried a hint of arrogant pride. Although her attire was not as exquisite as Liu Xiang'er's, her demeanor made Liu Xiang'er feel she had lost significantly.
"Who is this lady..." Liu Xiang'er couldn't help but want to know her name.
Zhong Li took a sip of the black tea in front of her, scanned Liu Xiang'er, then stood up and walked to her side, pulling her up. "I am Zhong Li, the Chief Officer of the Dali Temple. Miss Liu, the ground is cold. Women should keep warm."
"You're... Chief Officer Zhong?" Liu Xiang'er exclaimed in surprise after hearing Zhong Li's words.
Zhong Li raised her eyebrows, somewhat puzzled.
"As expected, I was right to find the Young Lord. If the Young Lord managed to find you, it means there's progress on Ayin's case!" Liu Xiang'er cast aside her recent embarrassment, clasped Zhong Li's arms with her hands, and said excitedly.
Zhong Li hadn't expected that her solving two cases in Jinzhou would make her so famous. She was unaccustomed to flattery, her cheeks flushed, and she awkwardly twitched her lips, unable to utter a word.
Lu Wuxie looked up at her reaction, and as he lowered his gaze, the corners of his mouth curved involuntarily. After spending so much time together, he finally knew Zhong Li's weakness. He would have to use it well in the future.
"Miss Liu!" He coughed softly, pulling his thoughts back, and his gaze fell on Xiao Chu, who was bare-chested and disheveled opposite them. "Do you know that the gentleman you admire is actually a vulgar scoundrel."
"What are you saying? Do you think you can slander others just because you're the Young Lord! Everyone knows the Young Lord is dissolute. You're just jealous that Xiang'er likes me and you can't have her, so you want to control me. If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!" Xiao Chu, upon hearing this, before Liu Xiang'er could reply, glared at Lu Wuxie and roared.
Lu Wuxie sneered and waved his hand at the people around him.
The two subordinates who had been restraining Xiao Chu stepped aside.
"You want to fight one-on-one?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Xiao Chu stared intently at Lu Wuxie. Seeing him sitting on the chair, looking lazy and boneless, he thought he was indeed as rumored, often frequenting pleasure houses and his body already exhausted. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yes! With you like this, do you think Xiang'er will like you? Dream on!"
"Good!" Lu Wuxie raised his eyebrows. He found he quite liked this kind of foolishly unaware bumpkin like Xiao Chu. "If you can defeat me, you can leave Xiangsi Garden, and I can even give you a substantial sum of money. If you lose..."
His eyes sharpened, and he sneered, "Then your life belongs to me!"
Xiao Chu swallowed a few times, raised his fist, and without thinking, smashed it towards Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie continued to sip his clear tea, watching as Xiao Chu's fist was about to hit his face.
Liu Xiang'er had already screamed in fright and covered her face.
Then, a heavy thud echoed from the room.
When everyone reacted, Xiao Chu was inexplicably sprawled on the floor, a shattered screen behind him.
As for Lu Wuxie, he was still sipping his clear tea, his robes gently swaying with the breeze blowing through the room's window.
"You... you... cheat!" Xiao Chu clutched his back, baring his teeth.
Zhong Li could no longer bear to see this clown jumping around in the room. She coldly stood up, picked up a blunted treasure sword hanging in the room, and pressed it against Xiao Chu's neck. "Look at your chest. Don't you feel that huge footprint? It's your fault for being inferior, don't blame others for being fast."
Xiao Chu stiffened, lowered his head, and looked at his slightly fleshy belly. Indeed, there was a footprint on it.
Zhong Li didn't want to waste time with him. She gently raised the tip of the sword to Xiao Chu's chin and said, "Speak, do you know a woman named Zhu Yin?"
Xiao Chu froze, his eyes darting around. Before he could speak, Zhong Li drew the Dali Temple token from her waist and warned, "I advise you to tell the truth."
Xiao Chu's body trembled, and he glanced fearfully at Liu Xiang'er.
"What, afraid others will know you're a liar?" Zhong Li said.
Liu Xiang'er's eyes widened upon hearing this as she looked at Xiao Chu, and combined with Zhong Li's question, she said, "Young Master Xiao, could it be..."
Xiao Chu tried to flip over, but Zhong Li's weapon was still pressed against his throat. He knew he couldn't escape. He said, "I know Zhu Yin."
Upon hearing this, the last flicker of hope in Liu Xiang'er's eyes vanished. She slumped dejectedly onto the ground, unsure of what to do.
"You know Zhu Yin, is it just acquaintance?" Zhong Li asked.
Xiao Chu glanced at everyone in the room. He was just a small swindler, not very brave. After some deliberation, he finally honestly said, "I met Zhu Yin last year, not the year before. That day, I pretended to be a scholar and composed poetry in the entertainment district. A woman like Zhu Yin, with her noble character, liked scholars like me. Within a few days, we got together."
"And then?"
"Then?" Xiao Chu thought for a moment and said,
"Then, I tricked Zhu Yin into thinking I would marry her. But because she was a woman from the entertainment district, my parents would definitely not agree. She wanted to buy her freedom, and all the money she had was just enough, with no extra to be tricked by me. So I thought of having her fund some shops for me to invest in. She didn't understand and gave me the money. I took the money and... disappeared!"