Ming Li landed, looking at the man opposite her. A faint, alluring smile played on her lips, capable of toppling kingdoms and captivating cities, yet the words she spoke sent seismic waves through his heart.
"Do you want to be emperor?" Ming Li asked, her gaze fixed on Nangong Yi as if it were a casual remark.
Nangong Yi: ...?! A inexplicable emotion flickered in his eyes, as if a door had closed, obscuring his inner thoughts, making him an enigma.
Ming Li continued to observe Nangong Yi. After a long pause, she let out a soft laugh and turned to leave. Mid-stride, however, she heard a slightly hoarse voice from behind her: "Want." A gust of wind swept the word away, scattering it within the courtyard.
Hearing this, Ming Li's steps faltered for just a moment before she vanished from the courtyard in a blur.
Nangong Yi stared at the spot where Ming Li had disappeared, lost in thought. He couldn't understand why his usually rational self was behaving so erratically today. This was a person he had only just met, someone he should have been wary of. Yet, the moment he heard her voice, he had spoken without conscious thought.
Nangong Yi regained his senses, rose, and beckoned towards the sky. An暗卫 (ànwèi - secret guard) materialized in the courtyard.
The secret guard knelt on one foot, hands clasped in front of him, and asked respectfully, "My lord, what are your orders?"
Nangong Yi looked at the secret guard and said, "Investigate the woman who was just here."
The secret guard accepted the command and vanished from Nangong Yi's sight in a few swift movements.
As Nangong Yi was about to sit down, a young maidservant arrived with a tray carrying his medicine for the day. Nangong Yi picked up the bowl of medicine, glanced at it, and downed it in one gulp.
...
Meanwhile, after leaving the Prince Yi's mansion, Ming Li made her way to Vermilion Bird Street.
As Ming Li walked, she overheard many citizens discussing events at the imperial palace. The details were slightly different, but Ming Li was uninterested and didn't pause. In the blink of an eye, Ming Li had changed into a set of male attire, even tying up her three thousand strands of raven hair high. She looked so striking that her gender was almost indistinguishable. Ming Li arrived at the liveliest establishment on Vermilion Bird Street, the Yi Hong Courtyard. Standing at its entrance, she was immediately assailed by the heavy scent of rouge, causing her beautifully sculpted brows to knit together.
As soon as she stepped inside, Ming Li saw a madam, her fingernails painted bright red, holding a pink silk handkerchief, and sporting a large beauty mark on her face. The madam, with a sway of her hips, approached her.
Witnessing this scene, Ming Li: ...?! So garish, what should I do when I want to hit someone?
The madam stopped in front of Ming Li. Noticing Ming Li's fine attire, she drawled in a voice that grated on the ears, "Young master~ I haven't seen you before. Are you new here! You can pick any girl you like~"
Ming Li: ...Even more like hitting someone now!
Since the madam's appearance, the System had been trying to suppress its laughter, turning red itself but daring not to let out a sound. Don't ask why it wasn't laughing; it was afraid of being beaten by its host.
A cold glint flashed through Ming Li's eyes before she said icily, "I want your top courtesan."
Madam: ...?!
Seeing the madam's lack of reaction, Ming Li produced a bag of gold leaves.
Upon seeing the gold leaves in Ming Li's hand, the madam's face broke into a smile as radiant as a chrysanthemum. She quickly accepted the bag, weighing its heft in her hand. Feeling its substantial weight, she immediately grinned broadly and led Ming Li upstairs.