Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Before the madam could react, someone nearby had already overheard the commotion and cut in first. “Sheng Zhaoning? That’s the Zhuangyuan!”

A wave of murmurs immediately swept through the building.

“It’s him. I saw him during the parade!”

“No wonder he looked so familiar. So it’s him!”

“What’s going on? Who would’ve thought the Zhuangyuan liked visiting brothels too?”

“Tch, how many scholars aren’t libertines? Once they start playing around, they’re probably wilder than you or me!”

Sheng Zhaoning: “…”

Sitting off to the side, Li Ji guiltily looked away.

Although the madam lived within a house of pleasure, she probably knew more about affairs outside than ordinary people did. After all, brothels were where information traveled fastest. All sorts passed through their doors, from the Emperor and his court to commoners and beggars, and when the mood struck, there was nothing that could not be whispered beside a pillow.

Naturally, she knew Sheng Zhaoning’s name.

“Since it’s the Zhuangyuan… I’m sure Sang Jin will be willing to see you!” The madam instantly put on a radiant smile.

What a joke. If Sang Jin would not see a jade-like beauty like this, did she expect to ascend to heaven and meet the Jade Emperor instead?

The madam hurriedly ushered Sheng Zhaoning inside. “Come, I’ll take you to Miss Sang Jin right away.”

Sheng Zhaoning followed behind the madam and, under the eyes of Li Ji and the others, was led upstairs.

Aside from the tables and chairs on the first floor, the second and third floors of Zuiyun Tower were all private rooms. As they walked down the corridor, they could clearly hear indescribable sounds drifting out from behind the doors.

The madam led Sheng Zhaoning all the way to a private room on the eastern side of the third floor.

The door was tightly shut, and it was very quiet inside.

The madam stepped forward and knocked. “Sang Jin, you have a guest.”

Sheng Zhaoning stood to the side, quietly observing the surroundings.

A soft, alluring woman’s voice came from within. “Who is it?”

The madam glanced at Sheng Zhaoning and said with a smile, “Oh my, this young master is no ordinary man!”

“You must have heard his name before. He’s the famed Zhuangyuan from some days ago, Sheng Zhaoning.”

The room fell silent for a while. Only after a long moment did that voice sound again.

“Bring him in. After this, don’t let anyone else come disturb us. No one, no matter who it is.”

The madam nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

Toward this living money tree of hers, the madam had always been generous and accommodating, granting every request.

She turned to Sheng Zhaoning and said, “Young Master Sheng, go in. Miss Sang Jin is waiting for you inside.”

With that, the madam cast Sheng Zhaoning an ambiguous look, then swayed her hips and left.

Sheng Zhaoning felt rather helpless. How had a perfectly ordinary situation turned into this?

After watching the madam disappear at the stairway, Sheng Zhaoning finally stepped up to the door and gave it a light push.

The door opened easily.

Inside, pale purple gauze drifted and swayed, and bead curtains chimed softly. The fragrance permeating the room rushed toward the senses. It was a forceful ylang-ylang scent, one that could easily stir the deepest restlessness hidden in a person’s heart.

Beyond a half-translucent screen, a slender, graceful figure reclined on an arhat couch. Hearing the movement, she propped one arm against a jade pillow, lifted her upper body, and looked toward the door.

As she moved, her clothing slipped slightly, revealing half a fragrant shoulder.

“I truly never expected to meet you here, Young Master.”

Sang Jin made her voice very soft and fine, its seduction carrying a trace of some very unusual emotion.

Sheng Zhaoning stopped and looked at her through the screen. “You know me?”

A barely audible chuckle seemed to drift through the air.

In the next instant, every candle around her went out.

The moment the room plunged into gloom, the figure behind the screen vanished. Sheng Zhaoning’s brow sank, her gaze sharpening with instant vigilance. Before she could move, a warm, soft body suddenly pressed against her from behind.

A pair of hands slowly crept up her chest, then maliciously pushed downward.

“You do a rather convincing job of pretending,” Sang Jin murmured with a wicked laugh, her lips brushing Sheng Zhaoning’s ear.

Sheng Zhaoning’s eyes went cold. She seized the woman’s wrist and twisted it back, only for the force to be deftly neutralized.

A faint note of mockery entered Sang Jin’s voice. “What, after leaving Liangzhou, even your martial arts have gotten rusty?”

Sheng Zhaoning clenched her fists, a vein jumping at her temple.

Gritting her teeth, she stared at the woman before her and said, word by word, “Shadow Seven.”

Shadow Seven covered her lips and laughed.

The candles in the room flared back to life. Shadow Seven circled Sheng Zhaoning, looking her over carefully from head to toe.

“My lord is truly handsome. Just looking at you makes this humble girl quite smitten.”

Sheng Zhaoning ignored the teasing in her tone. Her dark gaze fixed on Shadow Seven. “Why are you here?”

Shadow Seven casually chose a chair and sat down, idly playing with the hair that fell over her shoulder. “Naturally, like you, I’m lying low in the Capital and handling matters for His Highness.”

Sheng Zhaoning frowned. After a moment of thought, she asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Not long. Only two or three months,” Shadow Seven said carelessly.

“But…” She looked up at Sheng Zhaoning, a sharp glint flashing through her eyes. “I did hear something rather interesting recently.”

Sheng Zhaoning’s brow twitched, but nothing showed on her face. She remained silent.

“On the day of the Yu Sacrifice, assassins struck the altar. One was willing to take a blade for the Crown Prince, while the other gladly got wounded protecting a minister. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. Truly, a tale worth spreading.”

With that, Shadow Seven fixed her piercing gaze on Sheng Zhaoning’s expression, as if she meant to see straight through that calm face and lay her entire being bare.

Sheng Zhaoning’s lips pressed together unconsciously.

She raised her eyes, her hands hidden beneath her sleeves clenched into fists. “Who told you?”

As for what happened on the day of the Yu Sacrifice, all that had spread outside was that assassins had attacked. The assassins’ primary target had been the emperor, and everyone at court only knew the Crown Prince had been injured. The details had never gotten out.

Besides, the scene had been chaos at the time. Everyone’s attention had been fixed on the emperor. No one should have known exactly when Wei Heng had been wounded, much less why.

Shadow Seven looked at her with a half-smile. “Haven’t you already guessed?”

“That day, among those ordered to lead the death warriors in the assassination, besides Han Xu, who else was there?”

The figure standing on the distant corner of the eaves that day instantly surfaced in Sheng Zhaoning’s mind.

Han Xu’s gaze had cut through the crowd like a sharp arrow, nailing itself straight to her.

And at that moment, in her arms, she had been holding Wei Heng.

The person she had instinctively risked her life to protect was the very person Prince Zhenbei wanted dead.

And Wei Yi’s enemy as well.

Han Xu had seen all of it.

Shadow Seven had known her for many years. The two of them had fought their way out of piles of corpses together. For many things, words were unnecessary. With one glance, she could almost see straight through Sheng Zhaoning’s thoughts.

“Tell me, if even I know about this… what about him?”

A smile lingered in Shadow Seven’s eyes, carrying the excitement of a good show about to begin. She watched Sheng Zhaoning and slowly said, “Does Wei Yi know?”