In the banquet hall, upon the stage:
"Many thanks to all the young masters and gentlemen for your patronage! We have a new beauty at our brothel today, and you absolutely must take a look!"
Mother Wang, heavily made up, touted to the crowd with great effort; her livelihood depended on this. It was not yet noon, so the crowd was sparse—mostly idle playboys passing the time. A place like a brothel naturally drew its largest crowds at dusk. Seeing the lackluster interest from the guests below, Mother Wang hurriedly pushed Yun Feiwan onto the stage and whispered into her ear, "Little sister, do you have any talents you can perform?"
In her excitement last night, Mother Wang had completely forgotten to ask.
Yun Feiwan lowered her eyes, remaining silent. Talents? She had plenty of skills to spare!
With reddened eyes, she looked toward Xuantian Ze, who was seated in the front row of the private booths. She maintained her persona, putting on an expression of humiliation and distress that greatly pleased him.
He gave a disdainful, malicious smile. "Yun Feiwan, if you are willing to bow your head and admit your mistakes now, it’s not as if I couldn't give you a chance! Remember, this is a favor granted to you for the sake of your elder sister. You should be grateful."
Just as Xuantian Ze held his head high, expecting an apology, a soft, delicate voice came from the stage:
"Sister Wang, music, start!"
To the shock of the audience, Yun Feiwan extended her graceful arms and lifted her skirt to step onto the stage. Her waist swayed with elegance, her jade-like feet rose and fell, and the bells on her bare ankles danced to the rhythm. With her modern soul, she was not bound by the shackles of ancient expectations, nor did she feel any shame in showcasing herself.
Her moon-white dance dress fluttered with the movement of her fingers, making her look like a graceful swan, perfectly in sync with the music. As the bamboo flutes and string instruments soared, the beauty on stage moved like a ribbon in the wind. At the climax of the dance, Yun Feiwan even grabbed a moon lute from the side, playing and dancing simultaneously, as nimble and light as a woodland spirit that had wandered into the mortal realm.
As the music ended, she flicked her long sleeves, and as she bowed, her pinned-up hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Instantly, countless flower petals drifted down from above, filling the air with a lingering fragrance.
"Clap, clap, clap!!!"
"Bravo!"
"A top courtesan! This is a true top courtesan!"
The hall erupted in thunderous applause. The dance was bold, passionate, and full of vitality, earning cheers from everyone present. Though her outfit was far more revealing than what a noblewoman would wear, her dance style didn't invite a single vulgar thought.
Gold, silver, treasures, and flowers were tossed onto the stage recklessly, leaving Mother Wang grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh my, oh my, our little Wanwan is truly a beauty among beauties! The Yihong Brothel wouldn't be the same without you!"
Yun Feiwan wiped the sweat from her brow and bowed gently. She dared to pull such a bold stunt in this fictional ancient world precisely because she knew about the special constitution of a heroine in a tragedy novel. In the early stages, no matter how much she was abused—even if her meridians were shattered—she couldn't die until the very end; she was forced to live in agony. Since she was destined to be tormented regardless of her actions, why not live as freely as she pleased? If there was a bug in the system, she might as well exploit it!
Meeting Xuantian Ze’s gloomy gaze, Yun Feiwan tilted her head with a pure, smug expression. This specific gesture finally pushed Xuantian Ze, who had been holding back for quite some time, to his limit.
He waved a hand and roared in a low, angry voice:
"Fine, fine, fine! To think you are such a base and lewd woman; I truly underestimated you! Qinglong, go and drag this lowly concubine-born daughter back to me!"
At once, the young guard standing beside him flashed onto the stage, reaching out to grab Yun Feiwan.
"Wait a moment!"
Mother Wang snapped her feather fan shut, and instantly, several men in black surrounded Qinglong. She swayed her slender waist, approaching Yun Feiwan, her voice chilling despite her smile: "This young master, are you planning to snatch someone from the Yihong Brothel?"
Qinglong held his dagger against his chest and replied coldly, "Do you know who my master is? The current Third Prince, Xuantian Ze!"
He pointed at Yun Feiwan, who was peeking from behind Mother Wang. "She is the girl I delivered last night. She belongs to the Third Prince’s Estate, not your Yihong Brothel. Does my master need your permission to take back his own person?"
"Hmph!" After a moment of surprise, Mother Wang quickly regained her composure and sneered. "I don't care who you are. Under the Emperor's feet, we have laws. Since this girl was sent here by you, she is now a person of the Yihong Brothel! If you want to take her, you must follow the rules. Either pay the silver to redeem her, or pay to buy her time. Your Highness, what do you say?"
"Sister is so cool! I love it!" Yun Feiwan couldn't help but clap from behind Mother Wang. Having read plenty of novels, she had assumed the brothel madams were all terrified of the powerful, but Mother Wang was actually quite fierce!
"Yun Feiwan, come here! Don't make me say it a second time!" Seeing Yun Feiwan’s little performance, on top of being slighted by a madam, Xuantian Ze’s mood hit rock bottom. He glared at her, his face dark, as if he wanted to devour her right then and there.
Seeing this, Yun Feiwan tucked her head back in, shook her innocent, pure-looking face, and said weakly, "I won't go, I won't go! I'll make you so mad, bleh!"
The Truth System was as reliable as ever!
"You!" Xuantian Ze’s temples throbbed with veins. He narrowed his eyes and threatened, "Don't forget what day it is! You don't want your father waiting at home only to be made a laughingstock by everyone, do you?"
The implication was clear: if she didn't return today, she need never return at all. Thinking of her elder sister’s gloating face when she saw her make a fool of herself, Yun Feiwan immediately shook her head.
"No! I'll go back!"
Having inherited the original owner’s memories, she knew full well that her elder sister, Gu Ruoxi, wore two different faces in public and private. But if she just let Xuantian Ze get his way and watched him wear that satisfied, smug expression, she wouldn't feel happy either.
And so...
"Sister Wang, I have to go back for a moment!" Yun Feiwan looked at Mother Wang with pathetic, puppy-dog eyes; the display was so frail that even other women would want to protect her.
"Since you've made up your mind, get over here at once! I don't want to repeat myself a third time." Perhaps because he was the male lead of a tragedy, Xuantian Ze possessed an inexplicable sense of superiority. In his eyes, Yun Feiwan was just an object to be manipulated, and everyone had to revolve around him.
And to think, there were actually readers who shipped this couple?
At his words, Yun Feiwan aggrievedly tugged on Mother Wang’s sleeve, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.
"Third Prince, it's not impossible to take one of our girls away, but you must follow the rules." Mother Wang patted Yun Feiwan’s hand and looked at Xuantian Ze, her tone softening just a fraction. "You only need to pay five thousand taels of silver, and you can take our Miss Wanwan out for a day. How does that sound?"
What!
Yun Feiwan blinked in surprise. "Five thousand taels! Am I really worth that much?"