Holding the script, I want to give up.

Shangguan Zitong chickened out again after arriving at Tingfeng Pavilion.

"Yibai, why don't you wait here? I'll be there shortly."

Shangguan Zitong was afraid that the courtesan wouldn't go with him, and he would be so embarrassed that he would faint on the spot.

"No, I must protect the princess's safety."

Yi Bai seemed to have read Shangguan Zitong's mind and followed her closely.

"Alright then, let's go in and take a look together."

Shangguan Zitong said, forcing herself to speak.

"Princess, the usual?"

The madam flattered him, saying she wanted to make some money off Shangguan Zitong.

"Well, today this young... young... young lady will go by herself. Wait, princess? You all know?"

Shangguan Zitong's face turned a deep purplish-red. She thought to herself, "How did this rumor spread so quickly?"

“Princess, those in this line of work all have eyes and brains. You’ve been here for so many days, the news must have already leaked out.”

The madam's eyes couldn't hide her gossipy excitement as she spoke.

"...Okay. Is it that obvious?"

"Princess, let's go."

Yi Bai had seen enough, so he reminded Shangguan Zitong.

Shangguan Zitong was grateful that someone had come to her rescue, as more and more people were gathering around to see her.

The madam waved away the crowd that had gathered to watch the show, and Shangguan Zitong and her companions took the opportunity to go upstairs.

"To make a long story short, would you be willing to become my male concubine? I will provide you with the best food and drink, as long as you play the zither for me every day."

Shangguan Zitong sat upright, looking at the courtesan opposite her, with Yi Bai standing beside her. She suddenly had the unsettling feeling that she was being forced into prostitution.

"Bro, hurry up and answer me, don't embarrass me," Shangguan Zitong muttered to himself.

"Let me think about whether it's worth it. After all, the line of people who want to redeem me stretches from here all the way to Dongchuan."

"...Then you should think about it carefully for me."

Shangguan Zitong wasn't annoyed; she simply waited quietly for his answer.

"As a princess, you wouldn't be fickle and easily bored, would you?"

"Um... I'm not sure. It depends on the specific circumstances."

Shangguan Zitong is a fickle person; she falls in love with every celebrity and idol she meets, so she wouldn't dare to make any promises for this courtesan.

"If I want to leave, will you let me go?"

"Yes, and I will also give you enough money for your journey."

"Alright, then redeem me from this life."

What happened to the icy beauty we were promised? Why is she so unreserved? Where did things go wrong?

Shangguan Zitong was in a real bind.

"Yibai, go find the madam and get the ransom."

Shangguan Zitong waved her hand.

"Yes."

Yi Bai responded and went downstairs to negotiate with the madam.

Shangguan Zitong felt a pang of regret that she had lost another three thousand taels of silver. After the negotiations were completed, she and her entourage returned to the palace.

Inside the carriage, Shangguan Zitong was heartbroken and unwilling to speak, lost in thought over the loss of his money. The courtesan, holding his zither, sat quietly in meditation, while Yibai drove the carriage. The atmosphere was rather quiet.

......

"Hall of Mental Cultivation, this will be your palace from now on, Zi Ke. Do you like it?"

Shangguan Zitong pointed to the palace in front of her and showed it to the courtesan. She had just picked that palace randomly.

"It's alright, thank you, Your Highness. You must come to visit me often, Your Highness."

The courtesan gave a flirtatious wink, but unfortunately, Shangguan Zitong, wearing a veil, couldn't see it.

"Alright, alright, it's getting late, you should get some rest."

After settling the person in, Shangguan Zitong left.

Damn, who said you can find love around the corner? What if you run into an idiot?

Shangguan Zitong ran into Huangfu Hongxi at the corner; her luck was unbelievable.

"..."

Shangguan Zitong didn't think too much about it; she just wanted to avoid him, so she walked in the opposite direction.

"You're already so eager to go back to him after just leaving?"

Huangfu Hongxi said with a grim expression, "The princess has been ignoring my advice lately and keeps frequenting brothels."

"??? Are you sick in the head?"

Shangguan Zitong was completely speechless. He started by questioning her right away. What side was he on?

"Here, the gift we prepared for you during the hunt."

Huangfu Hongxi tossed a gift box to Shangguan Zitong, not caring whether she accepted it or not.

"Wow, that's so generous."

Shangguan Zitong took the gift box and opened it, revealing a bluish-green jade bracelet. It was pretty, but she didn't really like it.

"Is it really for me? Or is it not a family heirloom?"

Shangguan Zitong was uncertain, because the jade looked like a family heirloom, but since the system wasn't available, she couldn't ask.

"Don't give it back to me. It's an accessory I got as a gift when I bought clothes at the market."

As Huangfu Hongxi spoke, he made a gesture as if to snatch it back.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? I want it, I want it."

Shangguan Zitong clutched the item to her chest as if it were a precious treasure, afraid that refusing it would hurt the child's feelings.

"Why did you suddenly decide to give me a gift?"

Shangguan Zitong was extremely curious at this moment.

Aren't you going to see your sweetheart?

"Huh? Zi Ke? You want to see what he looks like too?"

"Yes, I've come to see your sweetheart."

"Well, I'll take you there to see it now."

Seeing that she had been misunderstood, Shangguan Zitong was too lazy to explain. After all, rumors stop with the wise.

Huangfu Hongxi's face was as dark as it could possibly be. How could she not explain? Could the rumors be true?

......

"Princess, do you miss me so soon?"

When the courtesan saw that Shangguan Zitong had returned with someone else, she began to think about how to make a fool of herself.

"Has the princess grown tired of me so quickly?" "Did you bring him here to send me away?"

The courtesan speaks of tea and its verses.

"Don't overthink it. I'm just bringing him to meet you. I have no other intentions."

Shangguan Zitong thought to herself: Young man, where did you get so many scenes?

"Hmph~ Only the princess can see my appearance."

The courtesan pretended to be angry and made a move to leave.

“Show it to whomever you want, Yibo.”

Shangguan Zitong was speechless. She thought of calling Yi Bai out and asking him to send the man away. If this person stayed here every day, she would have a heart attack. Her health in her original world wasn't very good to begin with.

"My subordinate is here."

Yibai jumped out from the shadows.

"Give him enough money for his journey and send him away."

Shangguan Zitong doesn't like people who are unreasonable and argumentative.

"Oh, Princess, I was just joking. I'm going to continue playing the zither for you."

The courtesan, realizing she had gone too far, quickly decided to quit while she was ahead.

"what ever."

Shangguan Zitong felt that the aroma of tea in the air was too strong and the atmosphere was not right, so she asked Yibai to use his light-footed skills to take her away, leaving the courtesan and Huangfu Hongxi staring at each other.

"You two can argue all you want, I can't stand listening to you," Shangguan Zitong thought to herself.

You'd better stay away from her.

Huangfu Hongxi said fiercely.

"What right do you have to say that?"

The courtesan retorted.

"...Just stay away from them."

"No, she can be close to whomever she wants. If she likes me playing the zither, then I will play for her until she no longer likes it, and then I will leave."

"You'd better keep your word."

"I was just a passerby in her life, not someone who left a deep impression. But you..."

After the courtesan finished speaking, she returned to the palace without caring what Huangfu Hongxi thought.

Huangfu Hongxi angrily swung his fist at the air, not even knowing why he was angry. He wondered what was wrong with him lately; something seemed off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

......

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Sorry, I'm going to finish writing this no matter how good or bad it is. If you like it, keep reading; if you don't, go read other novels.