"Go in!" An Ning was led to the door of the room. The madam was right behind her. If she didn't go in, the consequences would be unimaginable.
An Ning took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. A man was sitting there.
Hearing her footsteps, the man turned. An Ning was slightly startled. In her impression, people who frequented such places would be portly. She hadn't expected him to be such a young and handsome young master.
"Young Master," An Ning curtsied and said faintly.
The young man looked at her and asked, "Are you Jiu Ling?"
An Ning nodded, "It is I."
Upon hearing this, the young man smiled, "I thought you would be a woman adorned with gaudy cosmetics, but I didn't expect you to be so pure and graceful."
As he spoke, the young man stepped forward. An Ning's gaze turned cold. The hairpin hidden in her sleeve slipped into her palm. When the young man was close, she took out the hairpin and held it across her face, "Young Master, I am here out of desperation and do not wish to sell myself."
The young man chuckled softly, "Everyone who comes here resists like you, but how many can succeed in the end?"
An Ning heard this, and the hairpin in her hand fell onto her face, cutting a path downwards. Blood immediately began to flow.
The young man was stunned. He saw the young girl in front of him do this without the slightest hesitation. She was truly resolved.
"If your face is ruined, your path here ends. Is it worth it?"
"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated," the young girl said word by word.
Although her clear and beautiful face was marred by the bloodstain, it did not diminish the aura she exuded.
Her eyes were as clear as the sky, pure and without impurity.
For some reason, the young man was reminded of someone. At that time, that young girl had also looked at him like this, radiating an aura of "keep away."
"How about we make a deal, girl?" the young man suddenly said.
An Ning was taken aback, "What deal?"
The young man chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "After my fiancée eloped, my mother has been wanting me to marry. But I don't want to, so I want to find someone to help me dissuade my mother."
"Young Master, even to dissuade your mother, you don't need to find me."
The young man shook his head, "That is incorrect. If I did this to a respectable girl, it would harm her. If I have no intention of marrying her, why should I ruin her life?"
"So, you want to find a woman from a brothel to help you?"
The young man nodded, "Yes. Could you do me this favor, girl?"
An Ning looked at the young man. In truth, she knew this was the best method, as it was her only chance to leave this place.
Seeing that the girl had not yet answered, he continued, "Miss Jiu Ling, if you are willing to help me, I promise to set you free and give you a sum of money after it is done."
"I can agree to your terms, but I have one condition," An Ning said.
"Please, state it," the young man asked.
"I will write a letter, and you will send someone to the Jingzhao Prefect's mansion."
The young man nodded, "Alright."
"Good." An Ning tore off a corner of her skirt. She had no ink or pen.
She pricked her finger with the hairpin she had used for self-defense and wrote several large characters on the cloth, handing it to the young man. "Please send someone to the Jingzhao Prefect's mansion with this."
The young man nodded, walked to the door, and said in a low voice, "Shen Fei, deliver this letter to the Jingzhao Prefect's mansion."
Someone outside took it.
The young man walked back and asked, "Shall we wait for a reply?"
An Ning nodded, "Yes, I need to confirm that your man has delivered the letter."
The young man smiled faintly, "I have always kept my word."
After about half an incense stick's time, the young man's subordinate returned, stating that the letter had been delivered to the Jingzhao Prefect's mansion.
Jingzhao Prefect's Mansion
The Jingzhao Prefect looked at the blood-soaked letter. With every word he read, his heart pounded. He shouted, "Prepare the carriage, I must go to the palace..."
He stood up, but his legs went weak, and he fell to the ground. A young servant quickly helped him up and asked, "My lord, why are you covered in sweat?"
The Jingzhao Prefect cried with a mournful face, "An... Princess An Ning is at the Yu Chun Tower..."
An incense stick's time later, the blood-soaked letter received by the Jingzhao Prefect was now in the hands of Emperor An. After reading it, the Emperor trembled with rage. He stood up, staggering, almost falling to the ground. "Guards..."
"Ouch!" The madam was slammed to the ground forcefully for the first time. Before she could get a clear look at who it was, her face was pinned down by a foot. An angry, cold, and beautiful face appeared in her sight.
"Tell me, where is Princess An Ning?" the young girl's face was filled with extreme anger.
"G-girl, what are you talking about? How could Princess An Ning possibly be... here with me?"
The girl opened a portrait and pointed to the person in the painting, asking, "Princess An Ning..."
The madam trembled all over as she looked at the familiar person in the portrait.
"Your Highness, there is no trace of Princess An Ning, but we have found a few people," Xue Song said, approaching the man standing by the window.
The man was tall and slender, dressed in immaculate moon-white brocade robes. His astonishingly beautiful face, which could make anyone sigh, appeared before everyone's eyes as if a god had descended.
He possessed the breathtaking beauty of a god and also his majesty.
His brows were furrowed, exuding an innate solemnity and authority.
He strode forward, looking down, his voice as cold as frost, "Where is she?"
Those two simple words made the madam's body stiffen, and a chill ran through her limbs.
The girl beside him held a long sword across the madam's neck. The madam cried, "She was redeemed and taken away by a young gentleman..."
Suddenly, the girl felt her sword being taken away. Then, the madam watched as the sword pierced through her mouth.
Her eyes widened as she fell backward.
The girl stepped forward to touch her, shaking her head, "She has no breath."
"Your Highness, Xue Song should have handled this. You shouldn't dirty your hands..."
Xue Jingyun left a faint remark, "Anything that is detrimental to her should disappear."
"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you are too frightening." A figure rushed towards him.
Xue Jingyun dodged the figure rushing towards him.
An Ping, who had missed, bit her lower lip and looked pitifully, "Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I am scared..."
"What are you scared of? You shouldn't throw yourself into someone else's arms," An Ru said coldly from behind.
An Ping cried pitifully.
"What are you crying for?" Xue Yan, annoyed, shouted.
An Ping immediately stopped crying and stood there, stunned.
Xue Song stepped forward to support Xue Yan, "Don't get agitated."
An Ping bit her lower lip. Even a small maidservant could shout at her.
However, she did not shout back, as she still needed Xue Jingyun to get out.
She also knew how to assess the situation.
"Where is Princess An Ning?" Xue Yunlan emerged and looked around, realizing An Ning was not there.