cold clothes

From the large south-facing windows of the dance studio on the third floor, one can see most of Fengxiang Tower and even more distant skyscrapers and spires. To the east, from near to far, are the boudoirs of the four most beautiful courtesans and the Jingya Pavilion of Mama Hu. Beside the exquisite pavilions and terraces is Yongji Lake, the largest lake in Fengxiang Tower, named for its never drying up or freezing. It is said that it was originally intended to be called Yongji Lake, but it was changed to Yongji because it clashed with a lake in the imperial palace.

A canal was dug from the lake, flowing southwards. The canal meandered along Nuanfeng Pavilion and Diewu Pavilion, flowing from east to west to Langxuan Pavilion. The complete appearance of Langxuan Pavilion is unknown from here, because a three-story pavilion blocks the view from the front. That pavilion is never lit at night and is probably more mysterious than the dungeon.

Mentioning the dungeon, Leng Yi's gaze involuntarily drifted to the small house on the east side of Zhuoyu Pavilion; that torture chamber was one of the dungeon's exits. There was also the artificial hill behind the small kitchen on the west side, where a tree with a thick trunk and bare branches stood.

The winter chill was biting, and as far as the eye could see, the sky was a leaden gray and the earth was covered in white snow. After a while, Leng Yi found the scenery rather boring. She grew weary of the snow; why did the heavens send down such a thick blanket of snow? Was it trying to hide something?

What's the point of snow being so white? What's the use of snow being so white?

Leng Yi hadn't expected that her inner turmoil wouldn't disappear; instead, it would only intensify. She looked around, lost and adrift, her heart heavy with unsettled emotions. Seeing a soft sword hanging on the wall, she angrily drew it and began to dance wildly.

Without any music in her mind or any consideration for dance steps, she simply swung her sword wildly and without any rules, listening to the sound of the wind cutting through the air with each movement. This gave Leng Yi a sense of control, as if she could do whatever she wanted, and she became intoxicated by it.

Leng Yi experienced the exhilaration of sword dancing for the first time, and finally understood what it meant to have "white light embracing the sun and moon, and purple aura surging towards the heavens and earth." She then claimed the soft sword as her own.

Lengyi planned to have Wuxue teach her sword dance, but Wuxue said that she was not good at sword dance, and even Nuandong was not good at it. The one who was the best at sword dance in the entire Fengxiang Pavilion was Qingyou Gongzi.

Young Master Qingyou? The handsome guy she saw in that competition was from Langya Pavilion, so he probably couldn't teach her. Lengyi was a little disheartened, but she would still practice swordsmanship when she felt bored.

The days of anxiety finally took a turn when Lingcao rushed towards her. Lengyi was somewhat taken aback by this, and her heart immediately skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" There was a sense of déjà vu, as if time were repeating itself. Suzuka's expression was almost exactly the same as it had been then, except that the unhealed scar on her lips indicated that this was not the time.

"Ningbi—" Lingcao shouted in a panic, "The people from the front court have come to say that the soldiers from the Dali Temple are looking for you and want to take you as a witness!"

What? Witnesses?

"What? What? Ningbi is in big trouble again? It's the Dali Temple! Oh my god!" Weifeng exclaimed from the side, covering her mouth in surprise.

Xia Hua pondered for a moment and said, "It should be Liang Shuyun's case... Ning Bi is also one of the witnesses in the case, so it is reasonable to let her be a witness."

Wu Xue turned to look at Leng Yi. Leng Yi was shocked, but after hearing Xia Hua's words, she snapped out of her daze and immediately turned to leave, her mind filled with only one thought: So this isn't over yet...

As soon as they left Zhuoyu Pavilion, they saw Yunqiu, whom they hadn't seen for several days. Her expression was inscrutable, and she revealed a meaningful smile.

What have she and Aunt Hu been doing these past few days? Leng Yi thinks we'll probably find out soon.

As Leng Yi walked towards Nuanfeng Pavilion, she saw the girls gathered together discussing something. When Leng Yi arrived, all eyes turned to her.

Seeing the older women she had spent two months with looking at her stirred her emotions quite a bit; their expressions clearly indicated that they knew about Liang Shuyun and Yun Mei's affair.

"Ningbi, go boldly! You must see that scum Liang Shuyun brought to justice! Avenge Yunmei!" Juanxin, who was once very close to Yunmei, shouted to Lengyi, then picked up her handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

"That's right! Don't be afraid, Ningbi, go and get justice for Yunmei!" Someone started it, and encouraging voices rang out one after another.

"Sisters..." Leng Yi felt a surge of emotion, and suddenly a surge of courage supported her, allowing her to walk out of the backyard with dignity for the first time. Moreover, she was going to leave Fengxiang Tower as the next courtesan of Zhuoyu Pavilion, a position she had kept hidden for a long time.

A modestly decorated carriage was parked in front of Fengxianglou, and the street was crowded with people, making it very noisy.

"What on earth happened? Why are there so many people here?"

"Hey brother, you're oblivious to what's going on around you! Do you know about the girl Yunmei who passed away recently? It turns out it was Liang Shuyun, the Vice Minister of Works, who killed her! Liang Shuyun was arrested for embezzlement, and the fact that he killed Yunmei has also been exposed! The Dali Temple is holding a trial today to convict Liang Shuyun! And now, Mama Hu from Fengxiang Pavilion and a young courtesan are going to testify! What was the young courtesan's name again..."

"Blue-green? Oh... oh, it's called Ningbi! The courtesan has a pair of blue-green eyes!"

Blue eyes? My God, she's an absolute beauty.

"Yunmei was a girl I really liked! I even wanted to buy her freedom now that I had the money! But I never expected that Liang Shuyun would kill her! That damned corrupt official! Such scum must be beheaded and his head displayed to appease public anger!"

The bustling crowd made Leng Yi hesitate, but the guards beside her urged her to get into the carriage, and the coachman had already placed a short ladder for her to get in.

"Miss Ningbi, please get in the carriage quickly. Madam Hu is already waiting inside," the guard said.

Hearing the name "Mother Hu" made Leng Yi feel uneasy, her nerves on edge, but she had no choice but to press on. When she stepped out of the Fengxiang Pavilion, she caused a sensation, drawing crowds to watch.

"Is this the courtesan? I can't see her face clearly."

"I saw it! I saw it! She has such delicate features!"

"Let me see... are their eyes really blue?"

As the carriage curtain fell, the noisy discussions were immediately shut out. Leng Yi raised her clear, sharp eyes to look at Hu's mother, who was sitting back, her face full of vigilance.

Mrs. Hu watched with great interest as Leng Yi sat on the side, looking very wary, thinking to herself that she really looked like a little hedgehog.

The air in the carriage was heavy. Leng Yi kept her eyes open but didn't speak, and neither did Hu's mother. Leng Yi had nothing to say to Hu's mother; she was completely controlled by this woman, but she felt too proud to kneel down and act like a dog... after all, Hu's mother was also one of the people who had killed Yun Mei.

Leng Yi gritted her teeth inwardly; she was absolutely...

"Madam, Miss, please be seated."

"what--"

Leng Yi was suddenly pulled backward by inertia and almost fell flat on her face. She had been so focused on her inner grumbling that she hadn't heard what the driver said.

To have lost so much face in front of Mrs. Hu, Leng Yi's face burned with embarrassment, and she exclaimed that she was doomed.