The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

quiet……

A deathly silence...

Su Yaoyao felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up one by one.

Holding the trembling He Qing in his arms, one man was pulling at her left leg, and another man was pulling at her right leg.

The most outrageous one was that flashy girl in red. She was already dressed lightly, and now... she was practically naked...

Xiao Chenyuan stood there, his dark casual clothes accentuating his tall and slender figure, his face calm and serene, but his eyes—

His cold, star-like eyes were now like ice, scraping over her men's attire, over the tearful He Qing in her arms, and over the three dumbfounded handsome men beside her.

Su Yaoyao's mind was currently focused on only four words:

My life is over!

However, before she could thaw out of Xiao Chenyuan's icy gaze,

But then two more people appeared behind Xiao Chenyuan—

Jiang Jingchen and Xie Yu stood on either side of the door, their faces looking increasingly grim.

Su Yaoyao was completely petrified...

Jiang Jingchen's face was ashen, his eyes gleaming as if he wanted to devour someone. He gritted his teeth and said, "No wonder I saw your personal maid lurking outside my room this morning. I thought she had lost something. Now I see..."

His gaze lingered on Su Yaoyao's moon-white robe, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"This 'young master's' clothes look familiar!"

Su Yaoyao shrank her neck guiltily.

How could it not look familiar? This is the new outfit Jiang Jingchen just got! Su Yaoyao had Chun Tao "borrow" it this morning!

Xie Yu's gaze was fixed on He Qing—the boy was pretending to snuggle into Su Yaoyao's arms, his peach blossom eyes giving him a provocative glance.

The young general's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "It's not just the clothes that look familiar... this 'young master' certainly has quite the leisurely and carefree air! He's got two women on his arms, having a wonderful time!"

With each word he spoke, his tone grew heavier, yet it carried an indescribable...grievance. The last few words were practically squeezed out between his teeth.

Su Yaoyao: "..."

She forced a dry laugh, carefully pushing He Qing away from her embrace—this green tea guy was still clinging tightly to her sleeve—then she tried her best to put on an incredibly obedient smile:

"Your Highness... Cousin... General Xie... What a coincidence..."

The voice grew softer and softer.

"A coincidence?" Jiang Jingchen sneered, walking over and grabbing her by the back of her collar. "Wearing stolen clothes, dressed as a man with a maid, and coming to Nanfeng Pavilion to drink and be prostitutes is a coincidence? Su Yaoyao, you've really grown some nerve!"

"Cousin, it hurts, it hurts..." Su Yaoyao grimaced, "I... I just wanted to listen to some music..."

"Does listening to music require having women on either side?" Xie Yu walked over, his face ashen. "And also... a hero rescuing a damsel in distress?"

His gaze pierced He Qing like a knife.

"No, no..." Su Yaoyao quickly waved her hands.

"I mean... um... let me explain! No! I'll give you an explanation!"

Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation.

But He Qing leaned over at that moment, her voice soft and teasing: "Young Master Su... they are so fierce and scary... I'm frightened..."

Su Yaoyao: "..."

She's even more scared now!

Then he raised his tearful, almond-shaped eyes, looking utterly pitiful:

"Unlike me, I only feel sorry for the young master..."

"..."

Su Yaoyao's lips twitched.

Dude, can you please stop making things worse?! You want to die, but I want to live!!

Sure enough, as soon as He Qing said this, the chill emanating from Xiao Chenyuan intensified.

Jiang Jingchen and Xie Yu's faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.

It’s over.

Now even jumping into the Yellow River won't clear my name.

Xiao Chenyuan didn't speak, and slowly walked into the private room. With each step he took, the air pressure in the room dropped a little.

The men from the Nanfeng Pavilion had long since huddled in the corner in fear—although they didn't know the identities of these gentlemen who had come, their aura was absolutely terrifying!

Xiao Chenyuan stopped in front of Su Yaoyao.

He looked down at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on the heroic eyebrows and eyes painted on her face, before settling on her slightly open neckline—where the thin straps of a woman's bodice could be vaguely seen.

"Su Yaoyao."

He stopped calling him "Young Master Su" and started calling him by his full name.

His voice was calm, yet every word carried a chilling edge.

"You're quite the player."

With each word he spoke, Su Yaoyao's heart sank a little deeper.

Oh no, she's really angry.

Su Yaoyao's mind raced: "Um... I'm here... to inspect the businesses!"

Jiang Jingchen: "Industry?"

"Yes, yes!" Su Yaoyao's eyes lit up.

"Young Master Heqing owes me money, so I arranged for him to work here to pay it off. Today I'm here... to check the accounts! To see if he's been working diligently!"

She spoke with increasing confidence: "Think about it, thirty taels of silver! In three months, he'll get back a hundred taels with interest. If I don't keep an eye on things, what if he slacks off?"

He Qing spoke weakly in her arms, "I didn't slack off..."

"Shut up!" Su Yaoyao pressed his head back down.

Xiao Chenyuan looked at her and suddenly asked, "Then these three..."

His gaze swept over the three handsome men.

Those playing the zither, those playing the flute, and those dressed in red gauze all bowed their heads, wishing they could shrink into a crack in the ground.

"They...they are..." Su Yaoyao thought quickly.

"They're the top performers in the establishment! I'm here to assess their skills and see if they're worth investing in and developing!"

Xie Yu laughed in exasperation: "You, a young lady, are assessing the professional skills of the top courtesan at the Nanfeng Pavilion?!"

"Uh, so what!" Su Yaoyao gritted her teeth, deciding to just go all out: "Well... since we're already here..."

She pointed to the barely touched food and drinks on the table:

"I've spent quite a bit of money. How about... we drink our way back on the cost of the drinks first?"

Everyone: "..."

The private room was deathly silent.

After saying that, she wanted to slap herself.

What a lame excuse!

Sure enough, the three men looked at her as if she were a fool.

Jiang Jingchen sighed, "Yaoyao, you..."

Xie Yu gritted his teeth: "You still want to drink?!"

Only Xiao Chenyuan remained silent.

He quietly looked at Su Yaoyao, at her forced calm smile, at the fleeting panic in her eyes, and... at the man in her arms who was deliberately feigning weakness.

He Qing noticed his gaze, and shrank further into Su Yaoyao's arms, saying timidly yet with a charming smile:

"Yes, yes, Young Master Su spent a fortune on me..."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted towards Xiao Chenyuan, and his voice softened even more:

"This young master looks... like a Buddhist practitioner, right? Presumably... he can't drink alcohol?"

That's a cleverly worded statement; it seems like concern, but it's actually a provocation.

Jiang Jingchen and Xie Yu both looked at Xiao Chenyuan.

As everyone knows, His Highness the Crown Prince has been practicing Buddhism for many years and does not drink alcohol.

Su Yaoyao also looked at him, secretly planning—if Xiao Chenyuan said he wouldn't drink, she could conveniently see him off and then quickly make her escape...

But Xiao Chenyuan just watched her quietly.

Looked for a long time.

So long that Su Yaoyao's back started to break out in a cold sweat.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on his cool, ethereal face. His eyelashes were lowered, casting soft shadows beneath his eyes and obscuring the emotions within.

After a long while, he slowly raised his hand and picked up an empty wine glass from the table.

Then he looked up at Su Yaoyao:

"I'll drink."