Chapter 112: Selling His Looks

Upon hearing this, Rulan's face instantly darkened: "Southern First Young Master, Rulan feels that you and I are kindred spirits, which is why I was willing to discuss the art of the zither with you, but what you just said, is that not somewhat overstepping bounds?"

"True words are harsh to the ear, so naturally you feel it is overstepping. Or rather, you have long since reached a judgment in your heart, but simply refuse to accept the truth," Chi Nan Yi said with a faint smile. "If he truly holds you dear, why does he still let you remain in this pleasure quarter? Though you are the owner of this Qianxi Pavilion, if he truly intends to take you to his side once he achieves success, how will he introduce your identity to others? Surely you don't believe that because you have merit in supporting his rise to power, he will hold you in the palm of his hand!"

Merit in supporting his rise to power?

Behind her, Yun Shan's pupils shrank abruptly.

Could this woman be... the Crown Prince's person?

"Watch your words, Young Master!" Rulan slammed her hand on the table. "If you keep spouting nonsense, don't blame Rulan for showing no regard for our acquaintance."

"Heh, you and I have no acquaintance to speak of in the first place. Is that not perfectly clear to you?" Chi Nan Yi lowered her voice, looking at her with a half-smile. "Do you think he would truly keep a woman from the pleasure quarters by his side and grow old with her in loving devotion? If I remember correctly, the side consorts, concubines, and bedchamber maids in his residence already number more than ten."

Rulan's face turned exceedingly ugly upon hearing this: "Who exactly are you, coming here to say these things—what is your purpose?"

"What purpose could I possibly have? I merely feel a kinship with you and do not wish to see you walk down a road of no return."

"Heh, a road of no return? If I don't walk it once, how will I know it is a road of no return?"

Seeing the ambition in her eyes, Chi Nan Yi knew that aside from loving Mo Jun Heng, Rulan had other designs as well.

Since ancient times, there has never been a woman who did not desperately covet the position beside the Emperor.

The feeling of being above ten thousand yet below one is something everyone dreams of, but this position is not one that just anyone can hold steady.

To sit upon the Empress's seat, relying solely on that man's love for you is far from enough.

In this game of power, love is the cheapest bargaining chip.

In the previous life, Rulan was deeply mired in the beautiful dream Mo Jun Heng had woven, using the convenience of the brothel to gather intelligence from all corners of the realm for him. Mo Jun Heng had promised that once he became Emperor, he would welcome her into the Palace and confer upon her the title of Noble Consort.

Rulan believed it to be true. She always felt that in Mo Jun Heng's heart, she was different from other women. Those women had beauty, but she surpassed them, and she could also help Mo Jun Heng gather intelligence. What the women around him could not do, she could handle. Aside from family background, she was more formidable than all the women by his side. The position of Noble Consort belonged to none other than her.

But when Mo Jun Heng truly became Emperor, what she awaited with heart and eyes full of hope was not a decree of conferral, but a three-piece set for suicide.

Mo Jun Heng told her to choose one from a white silk rope, poisoned wine, and a dagger. She refused, and in the end, she was strangled to death by Gao Han with his bare hands.

How could Mo Jun Heng let the world know that he had once used a brothel woman to pave his way to the throne?

If word got out, wouldn't people laugh their teeth off?

A grand Emperor actually needing a woman's assistance.

Anyone who would obstruct his path forward, no matter who, had to be cleaned away thoroughly.

What he truly loved was only power and himself.

In this life, Chi Nan Yi sought out Rulan first, not out of pity or a desire to save her, but hoping she would wake up and no longer sell her life for that scum Mo Jun Heng. With one fewer person helping him, he would be one step farther from the throne.

This life, she would make Mo Jun Heng utterly bereft of allies.

In the previous life, Mo Jun Heng obtained a great deal of extremely important information from Rulan's intelligence.

This information was all kept in Mo Jun Heng's study. The original owner had never seen it, only occasionally catching fragments from his conversations with his close guards.

Qianxi Pavilion ultimately ended up entirely in Mo Jun Heng's hands, becoming Daqi's largest intelligence center.

So from the very beginning, Rulan was a chess piece of Mo Jun Heng's.

Only she was foolish enough to believe that Mo Jun Heng truly loved her.

Chi Nan Yi looked at her barely-held-together composure, the corners of her lips curving slightly. Rulan was a clever person. A woman who could support the enormous Qianxi Pavilion all on her own was clearly no ordinary woman—at the very least, she must be exceedingly intelligent. Sometimes, all it took was a slight nudge to make her see the situation clearly.

"Those caught up in the game are blind to it. Miss Rulan should also be considered a veteran of the romance arena—love or no love should be clear at a glance." Chi Nan Yi smiled and said, "Perhaps Miss Rulan has long since reached a conclusion in her heart, but still clings to a thread of fantasy." She nodded with an air of solemnity: "Nor is it strange that you were moved. A position that lofty—if there were a chance, who wouldn't want to fight for it? But allow me to remind you of one thing, Miss: some chasms are impossible to cross. Don't let yourself be sold and still help count the silver, only to find out at the very end that drawing water with a bamboo basket leaves you with nothing. After all, in this world, a person's true heart is the hardest thing to fathom."

Hearing her say this, a flicker of barely perceptible panic flashed through Rulan's eyes.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Nan Yi. I believe I already introduced myself earlier." Chi Nan Yi stood up. "I have pressing matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

Rulan watched her retreating back and did not try to stop her. Her fingers curled slightly, a wave of unease surging in her heart.

Who exactly was this person?

How did she know these things?

Nan Yi...

Leaving Qianxi Pavilion, Yun Shan followed behind Chi Nan Yi, his face full of words he wanted to say but held back.

"If you want to ask something, just ask!"

"Miss, how did you know that the courtesan of Qianxi Pavilion was the Crown Prince's person?"

"A guess." Chi Nan Yi shook her folding fan, her face inscrutable.

A guess?

A guess that accurate?

The Miss was just seeing that he hadn't read much and deceiving him again.

"Truly unexpected. Qianxi Pavilion is actually the Crown Prince's hidden agent."

Chi Nan Yi shook her head: "It isn't the Crown Prince's hidden agent yet, but if not stopped in time, it soon will be." She smiled and said, "You can tell your master—rather than letting her become the Crown Prince's hidden agent, it would be better for your master to strike first and gain the upper hand. Your master is far superior to that dog Mo Jun Heng."

"Miss, you shouldn't say such things. My master is not the kind of person who would sell his looks for power like the Crown Prince."

"Pfft..." Chi Nan Yi couldn't hold back a laugh: "Quite right, quite right. You put it most aptly."

However, the Crown Prince currently had problems in that department—he probably wouldn't even have the ability to sell his looks even if he wanted to.

At this moment, far away in the Crown Prince's Residence in Jingcheng, Mo Jun Heng picked up a teacup and hurled it heavily to the ground, his eyes bloodshot, as he grabbed the imperial physician who had been taking his pulse: "What did you say? Say it again for this Prince!"

"To answer Your Highness, you... have now developed a condition of impotence."

"Bang!"

Mo Jun Heng kicked the imperial physician squarely in the chest. The physician spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and his body crashed heavily to the ground.

"Say it again!"