cold clothes

“That’s too much…” Breeze stammered, immediately hiding behind Xia Hua. “How dare she yell at Mom like that? Who does she think she is? Xia Hua, look at her.”

“I am the leader,” Leng Yi said with a mocking smile, then looked at Madam Hu. “You should be able to grant this small request, right? Besides, after the courtesans debut, they all have their own separate residences, and they will have to separate sooner or later. Madam, you see, Wei Feng and I dislike each other. I wonder what kind of conflicts will arise if we get together.”

Mrs. Hu seemed to have a headache and rubbed her forehead, then sighed and said, "Alright, then it's your way. You can live in Liuyun Pavilion from now on."

"Thank you, Madam," Leng Yi said, bowing.

“Alright, you can all go back to class,” Mrs. Hu waved her hand. “Ningbi, stay behind. Although you won first place, I still need to question you about what happened last night.”

Leng Yi had expected this, but Xia Hua spoke up at this moment: "I want to stay too."

When Hu's mother looked at her, Xia Hua calmly said, "I have something I want to ask Ningbi and you, Mom."

-

A moment later, everyone else left, and Hu's mother took Leng Yi and Xia Hua to a room.

"Let's talk right here, Xia Hua. What do you want to ask?"

For Mrs. Hu, Xia Hua always seems to be the priority.

Xia Hua took a deep breath, as if to pour out all the words she had been holding back for a long time. "Mom, did you know that Zhao Qun likes martial arts, so you had Ning Bi perform the sword dance?" Xia Hua stated this with great certainty.

"Yes," Mrs. Hu replied directly.

It's a ghost! Leng Yi felt a tightness in her chest. Sword dancing was something she liked, something she chose herself, not something someone else instructed her to do... But now it seemed that this was exactly what Hu Mama wanted. She hated it so much; how was this any different from falling into a spider's web and willingly crawling into the spider's mouth? She deserved to die.

"You never told me this before!" Xia Hua suddenly shouted, her chest heaving violently, her face flushing red, and her eyes fixed intently on Hu's mother.

"You know I've always wanted to avenge my family, so why? Why are you unwilling to entrust me with this important task? Have I disappointed you?"

“Xia Hua…” Mrs. Hu said, her eyes filled with pain, “Why don’t you understand my good intentions?”

Meeting Xia Hua's sad and confused gaze, Madam Hu said in a deep voice, "The important task is not only to become an undercover agent for the Third Prince. Do you know what it takes to be an undercover agent?"

"I'm willing to endure any hardship!"

"Can you bear to smile at the Third Prince? Can you flirt with the Third Prince? Can you share a bed with the Third Prince?" Madam Hu's voice suddenly turned shrill as she rattled off a string of questions. Then she paused, sighed deeply, and asked again, "Do you really understand what it takes to be an undercover agent?"

Xia Hua was speechless. Madam Hu had never told her any of this. She always told her that as long as she became the most beautiful and powerful courtesan, all men would fall for her, including the Third Prince.

Isn't it enough to charm men with beauty and talent?

Leng Yi was heartbroken. Hu's mother meant that she couldn't bear to let Xia Hua do it, so she sent Leng Yi instead; Leng Yi was just cannon fodder.

"I..." Xia Hua thought about the image of her beaming with joy in front of the Third Prince, but just thinking about it made her unable to accept it. She wished she could tear him apart and make him taste the bitterness of witnessing the tragic death of his loved ones.

"Xia Hua, you are the only descendant of the Xie family's main branch. Revitalizing the Xie family is the heavy responsibility you should shoulder." Madam Hu placed a hand on Xia Hua's shoulder and said earnestly.

"My cousin..."

"He's not actually surnamed Xie..."