cold clothes

Leng Yi watched Wu Xue leave. Her back looked so thin and small, showing that she was only a ten-year-old child. However, heavy suffering was pressing down on her frail shoulders.

The air was filled with steam, and my tired body, soaked in the warm water after a long day, finally had time to process the information I had received that day.

First, at noon, Madam Hu announced the new rules for the grand exam, putting her at a significant disadvantage. Because of this, she agreed to Yun Qiu's deal. Just now, she learned that Yun Mei's death was premeditated, and merely one link in a larger conspiracy. Yun Mei, seeking revenge, seduced Liang Shuyun and then died, giving Madam Hu leverage over Liang Shuyun. There are so many mysteries involved: What grudge did Yun Mei and Liang Shuyun hold? How did Yun Mei come to Fengxiang Pavilion? What power did Madam Hu possess to help Yun Mei seek revenge? Wu Xue said, "Madam Hu is Fengxiang Pavilion's greatest avenger," so what is Madam Hu's unknown identity? What does it mean to use all the girls as sacrifices? All the girls in Fengxiang Pavilion undergo special training according to their ranks, and all must die for their missions. It has to be said that this is more like a spy/assassin organization than a brothel. Thinking about this, Leng Yi felt that the strangeness of Fengxiang Pavilion had a fitting explanation.

Why do they train courtesans to study everything from the heavens and the earth to history and military affairs? Why do the young ladies and nannies of Zhuoyu Pavilion have such an air of superiority? Why does Mama Hu have internal strength—she still remembers how Mama Hu sent her flying three feet with a wave of her sleeve in the dungeon—the reason is that Fengxiang Tower is not an ordinary brothel, but an "alliance of women's enemies"!

The sudden association with a pun made Leng Yi laugh at her own humor, but the reality she deduced left her unable to laugh. What kind of luck was this? In novels, the heroines who transmigrate are always princesses or young ladies, but she transmigrated as a nameless homeless child. She thought being forced into prostitution was bad enough, but now she not only had to be a prostitute but also a spy, selling her body and her life. It was truly absurd and ridiculous; she had absolutely no idea what her future held.

Even more tragically, the disaster is not in the distant future, but imminent. The deal with Yunqiu is to be executed the very next day.

Courtesan, Haruharu...

Yunqiu asked Lengyi to do something simple: offend Qingchun. This was a tricky matter, as offending Qingchun would make her life at Fengxianglou even more difficult. She was forced into the power struggle between Yunqiu and Qingchun, and had to choose between the two camps. Intuitively, she was less willing to be enemies with Yunqiu than with Qingchun, as Yunqiu seemed much more difficult to deal with.

During these past few months, Lengyi had also heard of Qingchun. She could be said to be the courtesan with the most patrons. She could entertain a different guest every night for a year without repeating the same one. Among her patrons, the second son of the Duke's mansion and the eldest son of the Marquis of Shenyong were the most distinguished. The romantic affairs of the three of them were known throughout the capital, and the ladies of Nuanfeng Pavilion would often chat about them with great interest in their spare time.

Leng Yi spent a sleepless night, feeling that the time spent in Zhuoyu Pavilion was exceptionally long; it had only been three days. In the morning, Leng Yi did not stay in bed, but waited for everyone else to get up before getting up. After breakfast, she heard the instrumental room playing "Return to the Countryside." Leng Yi had a sudden inspiration and went up to the dance studio on the third floor, intending to practice dancing to the music. As luck would have it, Wu Xue was in the dance studio.

“Nongyue is playing in the music room, and the music can be heard clearly, which is perfect for us to practice dancing,” Lengyi said with a familiar smile.

Wu Xue paused for a moment, then continued dancing without even glancing at Leng Yi, making Leng Yi's smile appear even more awkward.

I thought we could have a friendly conversation, but was last night's exchange just empty talk...?

Leng Yi's smile faltered. As the music drew to a close, Wu Xue stopped, took a few breaths, and said, "It's not Nong Yue, it's Xia Hua."

"Ok?"

"The one playing music in the instrument room is not Nongyue. Nongyue is good at pressing the strings when playing the guzheng, while Xiahua is good at tremolo. The tremolo she just played was smooth, so it must be Xiahua."

"Oh—I see. I couldn't even tell the difference." Leng Yi smiled, realizing that Wu Xue wanted to finish the dance before talking to her. She was truly a dance fanatic.

The music started playing downstairs again, and Wu Xue subconsciously started dancing to the music. Leng Yi followed suit, but she couldn't stay silent like Wu Xue. She tried to chat with her: "Do you know what classes you have this morning?"

"The painting class will be taught by Sister Qingchun," Wuxue said. "If you don't know the schedule, you can ask your maid." The implication was that she shouldn't ask her.

Leng Yi actually knew what class she was supposed to attend, but she just wanted to find out about Qing Chun from Wu Xue, so she shamelessly asked, "What kind of person is Sister Qing Chun? Is she gentle?"

Generally speaking, the girls of Fengxianglou are as their names suggest. Qingchun gives off a stereotypical impression of gentleness and brightness. Lengyi had seen her once before from afar; she was petite and charming in a pink dress and green shirt. But Wuxue hesitated unexpectedly, saying, "Sister Qingchun... it's hard to describe. She's not as strict as Sister Yunqiu, nor as meticulous as Sister Nuandong, nor as cheerful as Sister Liuxia. She can't stand disobedient maids, and her punishments are quite harsh. You'd better be careful and not cause trouble in Sister Qingchun's class." At the end, she gave Lengyi a knowing look.

"...That sounds like Sister Qingchun is not someone to mess with." And that's exactly what she was going to do. The image of Leng Yiyunbei, the gentle and bright older sister in her pink dress and green shirt, was shattered.

“Who’s easy to mess with here?” Wu Xue teased her again.

That's true...

Lengyi was prepared to face a formidable opponent, but Qingchun was nowhere to be seen during class—it turned out that Qingchun had accepted the invitation from the second son of the Duke's mansion to go boating on the lake last night, so Nuandong was taking over the class today.

Today was probably the most relaxing day I've had since I started living in a brothel. Although my body was tired, my mind was very relaxed. I read, practiced calligraphy, played the piano, danced, painted, and played chess. If I forgot that this was a brothel, my life would be like that of an ancient noblewoman secluded in her boudoir.

The next day (September 6th) Qingchun was not seen in the calligraphy and painting class either, but there were only two days left before the deadline of the plan. Yunqiu told Lengyi to be patient and said that she would think of a solution.

Actually, if the plan failed, it would also be beneficial for Leng Yi, as she could escape Yun Qiu's blackmail once. Thinking this, Leng Yi felt much better, but it didn't last long before she had another conflict with Wei Feng. During the afternoon dance class, she accidentally stepped on Wei Feng's foot, and Wei Feng immediately cursed angrily. Seeing her like that, Leng Yi was unwilling to apologize at all.

It's really hard to feel good when you live under the same roof as someone you hate.

That evening, Yunqiu met with her again, told her about the next plan, and gave her a sachet.

Leng Yi gripped it tightly.

While taking a bath, Lingcao discovered the sachet and looked at Lengyi in a panic. Lengyi calmly said to her, "You'd better pretend you didn't see it, put it back, and then wash all the clothes that have been stained with the fragrance."

Since she came to her senses, Leng Yi has consciously distanced herself from Ling Cao, hoping that Ling Cao would not know anything about what she was doing and would not be implicated by her.

Looking into Leng Yi's deep blue eyes, Lingcao suddenly realized that the little girl covered in mud had transformed into a beautiful and cunning young woman. She felt extremely sad, but her usual timidity prevented her from saying anything.