Seducing the Heart - Chapter 11

The evening clouds gradually receded from the horizon as the number of vendors on the streets grew, signaling the start of the unique nighttime bustle of the Imperial Capital.

Yun Jin strolled leisurely through the streets alone, dressed in robes as white as snow and holding an exquisite folding fan, her expression one of calm detachment.

Looking out across the thoroughfare, the most magnificent building in sight was the flower house known as “the place of earthly paradise”: Bu Xian Xian.

Since Yaoqin’s departure, Yun Jin had not stepped foot inside the doors of Bu Xian Xian for some time. A stray thought crossed her mind: I wonder if Yaoqin is living well these days?

“Master Yun, my lady would like to invite you for a drink. Would you do us the honor of meeting her?” A young girl dressed in green blocked Yun Jin’s path, asking with some trepidation. Before speaking, she carefully scrutinized Yun Jin’s face as if confirming her identity.

Yun Jin raised an eyebrow slightly. Her tone was flat, yet it somehow felt gentle. “Who is your lady? Does she know me?”

“You will know once you go, Master Yun.” The girl stammered, not daring to look at Yun Jin. Her demeanor made Yun Jin suspect that if she said “no,” the girl might burst into tears right there on the street.

“Then please lead the way, miss.”

“Wonderful! Follow me, Master.” Having received Yun Jin’s affirmation, the girl’s heart leaped with joy, and she skipped ahead to lead the way.

Yun Jin found it amusing; she wondered whose household had raised such a simple and honest little maid.

The girl in green led Yun Jin through a series of twists and turns, eventually entering a flower house of modest size. Fearing that Yun Jin might refuse to enter upon seeing where she had been brought, the girl stole a glance back.

Fortunately, Yun Jin’s expression remained as usual as she followed behind, appearing indifferent to the nature of their destination. The women around them, adorned in gaudy attire, did not flock to them upon seeing who the little maid was leading.

Yun Jin concluded from this that they must all be familiar with one another. However, Yun Jin had never set foot in this particular flower house before and did not believe she knew anyone within.

“We are here.” The girl in green stopped before the innermost door on the third floor. She knocked softly, then pushed the door open and gestured for Yun Jin to enter.

Perhaps in all the world, an elegant flower house like Bu Xian Xian was unique. This place was exactly what an ordinary flower house should look like: filled with women of the demimonde who, for various reasons, prostrated themselves to flatter others.

Downstairs was boisterous as everyone worked hard to solicit patrons; it was the cruelest face of life. Yun Jin took only one look back down before withdrawing her gaze and stepping into the room.

At this point, a spark of curiosity was ignited: who was waiting here to see her?

The room was simply furnished, yet it was clearly the boudoir of a woman who favored cleanliness. The decorations on the dressing table were neatly arranged, and a pearwood bookshelf even leaned against a corner of the wall. Yun Jin caught the scent of feminine fragrance lingering in the air, and the interest in her eyes deepened.

“Master Yun, please have a seat.” The woman standing by the window turned around and smiled at Yun Jin.

This woman was also dressed in white, her every move exuding gentleness. Her temperament was indeed different from those downstairs.

Yun Jin did not refuse. Lifting her front robe slightly, she sat at the table with a touch of elegance. “May I ask why you have invited me here, miss?”

From the moment Yun Jin entered, the woman had been secretly sizing her up. The rumors were true: this Prince was indeed exceptionally beautiful and possessed a transcendent aura.

“This humble girl is named Jiaoyue. I have long heard of King Jin’s refined reputation and have admired you for a long time.” Jiaoyue walked to the table, picked up a white jade wine pot, and poured wine for Yun Jin, her eyes filled with undisguised affection.

A light flickered in Yun Jin’s eyes. She lowered her gaze slightly in thought, and then a smile curled at the corners of her lips. She knew the words were full of falsehood; everything else can be faked, but it is difficult to counterfeit genuine affection for another.

“Does the lady have feelings for this Prince?” Yun Jin picked up the wine Jiaoyue had poured and drank it, her tone laced with clear suspicion. “But you and I have never met. Can you truly know your heart for me based only on the words of others?”

Jiaoyue’s figure stiffened slightly, but she soon gave a calm smile. “In matters of the heart, who can truly say for sure?”

She poured more wine, refilling Yun Jin’s cup. “The Prince surely remembers this year’s Lantern Festival? I was fortunate enough to see the Prince’s face during the festival and have been enamored ever since. I felt that one look was worth ten thousand years.”

“Did I ever go to the Lantern Festival?” A flash of mischief crossed Yun Jin’s eyes as she asked herself with a tone of uncertainty.

Jiaoyue’s heart tightened. She had heard that King Jin was weak and sickly; could it be that he hadn’t even left his house for such a lively festival?

In truth, Jiaoyue had never seen Yun Jin at the Lantern Festival. She only said it as a gamble. If she were exposed now, it would be difficult to explain.

“Yes, I did indeed go.” Yun Jin’s eyes were filled with a smile as she unknowingly drank another cup of wine.

Jiaoyue’s heart, which had just been in her throat, settled back down. Her face wore a bright smile. “That day, the Prince was quite popular with the ladies. I could only watch from afar and didn’t dare approach. To finally have a chance to be alone with the Prince now is truly my good fortune.”

Yun Jin saw the scene before her begin to blur. She frowned slightly and tried to stand up, but was stopped by a gentle force. At the last moment of her consciousness, she heard Jiaoyue’s whisper, its emotion indistinguishable: “Prince, you are drunk.”

Having dealt with various medicinal herbs for years due to her illness, Yun Jin had sensed the anomaly in the wine long ago. A simple sedative would not have worked on her. She was willing to play along only because she wanted to know what the other party’s true intentions were.

Jiaoyue hesitated several times before reaching out to help Yun Jin onto her couch.

With her eyes closed, Yun Jin felt Jiaoyue first remove her outer robe, then slowly move her hand toward her sash. Yun Jin instantly became alert. Just as she was about to stop cooperating and halt the other woman’s actions, Jiaoyue suddenly stopped of her own accord.

“Prince, forgive me,” Jiaoyue said with some pain in her voice. “But I truly have no other choice.”

She seemed to be crying. Then, she carefully lay down beside Yun Jin. Yun Jin kept her eyes closed and made no move, only wondering what hidden troubles Jiaoyue was facing.

Yun Jin rested with her eyes closed but did not sleep at all during the night. The person beside her was the same; both lay on the same couch with their own thoughts, separated by half an arm’s length.

Finally enduring until dawn, Yun Jin rose from the couch, feigning that she had just woken up. Naturally, she saw the woman beside her wearing only her inner garments.

Jiaoyue opened her eyes and looked at the scattered clothes on the floor, her face full of shyness. “Regarding last night, I did everything of my own free will.”

Yun Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, neither confirming nor denying. The lady was certainly willing; she didn’t even bother to help me remove my hairpins.

“Have you still not found the Prince?” Qin Zhanluo sat in the front hall drinking tea, her eyes dark.

“Still no sign of him.” The guards, knowing Qin Zhanluo was in a bad mood, knelt on one knee and did not dare look up.

Yun Jin had not returned all night after leaving yesterday. Even Nangong Ning did not know her whereabouts. Qin Zhanluo had sent people to look in all the places she might frequent, but they found nothing.

Where did Yun Jin go? Was she in any danger?

Qin Zhanluo suppressed the irritation rising in her heart, frowned, and ordered, “Have our people go out and continue searching until he is found.”

“Highness! The Prince has been found!”

When Yun Jin stepped into the Prince’s Manor, she felt exhausted from staying up all night and wanted to return to her bedroom to rest. It wasn’t until she saw the familiar figure not far away, along with several people following behind her, that she realized she had overlooked a problem.

A particularly thorny problem.

The current Yun Jin was no longer the single Prince who could go out for wine and women and stay out all night. After marriage, one must always give an account of one’s whereabouts to one’s wife.

“The Prince went somewhere without leaving word with the household, and no one could be found even when I sent people to search.” Qin Zhanluo walked toward Yun Jin, her expression so indifferent that it was impossible to tell her true feelings. “I was very worried.”

“I am grateful for the Princess Consort’s concern. I” Yun Jin quickly thought of an excuse in her head, not forgetting to cast a glance toward Nangong Ning behind Qin Zhanluo for help.

The latter turned her head away, offering no assistance.

Qin Zhanluo suddenly leaned close to Yun Jin’s neck and took a soft sniff. “The fragrance on the Prince is quite pleasant.”

Yun Jin originally only carried a faint scent of herbs, but now she was tinged with another fragrance that belonged uniquely to a woman.

Yun Jin remained steady; even after being easily exposed, she showed no sign of panic. “Princess Consort, actually last night I”

“I see the Prince looks weary; you must be tired. Go back and rest early.” Qin Zhanluo spoke nonchalantly, then stepped aside and brushed past Yun Jin.

“Where did you go last night, Master?” Nangong Ning stepped forward to size up Yun Jin. Seeing that she was uninjured, she knew there was no problem.

“I went to a flower house.” Although Yun Jin couldn’t guess whether Qin Zhanluo was angry, she felt relieved that the Princess didn’t pursue the matter.

Besides, Qin Zhanluo probably wouldn’t get angry over her; after all, she had said she had someone in her heart.

“A flower house?” Nangong Ning naturally knew that the flower house couldn’t have been Bu Xian Xian, because that was the first place the people from the manor had checked last night.

So, Yun Jin had gone to a real flower house.

Nangong Ning spoke with careful consideration: “Prince, don’t you think your actions are a bit like”

“Like what?” Yun Jin asked subconsciously, while also lowering her head slightly to sniff her own collar.

It was strange; the other fragrance on her was not obvious. How did the Princess Consort distinguish it with just a light sniff?

“Like the heartless man often mentioned in folk stories.” Nangong Ning finished speaking unhurriedly, then turned and left, clutching her scabbard.

“A heartless man?” Yun Jin looked at Nangong Ning’s retreating back and repeated the words with a helpless expression.

Indeed, by conventional logic, she was married yet had spent the night on another woman’s couch; it truly did look like the behavior of a heartless man.

But, for one, Qin Zhanluo didn’t like her; for another, she herself was a woman.

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