Chapter 35: Ambush

Chapter 35 Ambush

Li Zhiming grew more and more excited, feeling as if a pretty girl had appeared before his eyes.

He knew this was wrong of him, that he was acting like a total animal.

He had come to find his younger brother, and the top courtesan was his sister-in-law. Yet here he was, fantasizing about women because of her, craving to hold a soft, sweet-smelling girl in his arms.

Ugh.

Miss Cui's body wasn't even cold yet.

Li Zhiming gave himself a hard slap in frustration, quickly lay down, and closed his eyes. Sleepiness quickly washed over him.

Half-asleep, it seemed someone climbed onto his bed, snuggling up against him. It felt good to hold them, though just not that soft—not like the soft, cuddly girl he'd pictured.

The person even booped his nose.

Then, he found himself pulled into a hug. It was comfortable, though his arms felt a little trapped.

"Mm..."

He muttered sleepily.

The next second, a sweet-smelling beauty planted one on him, giving him a soft, quick kiss.

Holy crap!!

That was incredible.

Even though it was all fuzzy, it felt amazing, as if someone had truly kissed him. He wrapped himself around them, begging for a hug, hoping to stay in this dream.

When he finally woke up, it was already noon, and he couldn't stop yawning. You'd think he hadn't slept a wink.

Hearing him stir in the room, Feng Yin came in with a basin of water and a towel.

"Master, why are you up so late today?"

Li Zhiming thought back to last night's dream, feeling a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat: "Had a nightmare, didn't sleep well. It's fine. Did you come to see me because you have news?"

"Master had a nightmare? Is it a bad omen?"

A bad omen?

If anything, it meant his love life was looking up.

After all, his dream wasn't that bad—it was actually pretty great.

Feng Yin was confused. How could he call it a nightmare when his master looked like he was savoring the memory?

"Master..."

"Oh, just drop it. Did you find something out? Spill it."

Hearing they were getting down to business, Feng Yin set aside his worry.

"Master, I found out that courtesan really is a fake. She was originally a brothel girl, the maid who served the original top courtesan."

"A maid?!?"

"Yes, one who only served the top courtesan. Apparently, every time the courtesan played the pipa on stage, a maid accompanied her. That must have been her."

That's weird.

Li Zhiming frowned, confused.

How could a maid replace the top courtesan and become the new top courtesan?

Even if something happened to the original courtesan or she left the brothel, they'd have found another pretty girl to take her place. There's no way they couldn't find anyone and just settled for a maid.

And that maid didn't seem like she was just filling in temporarily either.

From what he saw that day, she was clearly trying to hit on him, probably because she figured he had money.

"Feng Yin, did you find out why that fake courtesan became the new top courtesan? Why was she just a maid before?"

Feng Yin nodded.

"Master, I found that out too. That maid was bought by the madam to be a servant from the start. At that time, the top courtesan, Miss Mu, was already in the brothel.

But Miss Mu was proud and aloof, refusing even to sell her performances. She would only play one pipa piece on stage each day, and even then, behind a curtain. Still, countless people adored her, throwing down fortunes just to enter the curtain and see her face."

"And then?"

"To nurture this money tree, the madam wouldn't force Miss Mu. In fact, she catered to her, even buying a maid specifically to attend to her daily needs."

"Get to the point."

"Master, I discovered that the maid has contact with a mysterious person, and that person also has contact with the madam, but the two sides seem unaware of each other. The other party's identity is extremely well-hidden; I haven't been able to uncover it yet."

"I see."

This was just like modern celebrities.

An assistant and caretaker, serving a glamorous star day in and day out, watching her be adored by crowds and pampered by the madam.

While she herself was just a servant.

Over time, her mind would become unbalanced too.

It seemed there was some kind of deal between them.

Li Zhiming suddenly felt that things weren't so simple. It was very possible these events were aimed at someone.

"Feng Yin, have you found out where the real top courtesan is?"

"Not yet."

Feng Yin shook his head, looking somewhat remorseful.

Just as Li Zhiming was about to comfort him, he continued: "Master, I simply cannot trace the courtesan's whereabouts. Could someone be secretly helping her?"

"That's possible. What about the second young master? Have you found anything?"

"After leaving the brothel one day, the second young master reportedly vanished without a trace."

"Alright, I understand. Don't follow me. Keep investigating."

Li Zhiming washed up and headed to the brothel. He tossed out large sums of silver, and the madam's eyes squinted shut with joy, thinking another fool with deep pockets had arrived.

He only wanted to start with the fake courtesan, hoping to pry out some information.

But that woman was tight-lipped; once she realized he was after something, she flat-out refused to say anything useful, instead trying several times to get him into bed.

One day, Li Zhiming finally picked up a lead—half a note saying someone had arranged to meet the courtesan in the woods.

Li Zhiming stepped into those woods, and no sooner had he entered than he was hemmed in by the sound of footsteps.

He'd walked into a trap.

He bolted, though not particularly scared.

If he were shot dead, he'd just have to endure the pain and start over; he couldn't win a straight fight anyway.

After a bit, he realized no one was chasing him; instead, a fresh group showed up and started brawling. Within moments, the casualties were mounting.

Li Zhiming couldn't tell which side had lost more, but he didn't stick around to watch the show. He hightailed it out of the woods.

It wasn't entirely in vain.

He spotted a patch of weeds in the woods that had clearly been flattened, possibly from someone passing through or even rolling around there, and the marks were fresh, probably from the last few days.

"Kill!"

A single word came seemingly out of nowhere, dripping with murderous intent.

Crap.

This time, Li Zhiming didn't escape. He stepped right into a large pit—someone had for sure set an ambush here, waiting for him to come.

Dust burst up, and Li Zhiming waved it away vigorously before slowly opening his eyes to see the person standing above the pit.

A somewhat familiar face.

The Fourth Prince.

He seemed to savor the look of shock on Li Zhiming's face, laughing wildly for dozens of seconds before glaring down at him from above.

"Eldest Young Master Li, how about it? Surprised and delighted, aren't you?"

"..."

Like a madman.

After the initial shock, Li Zhiming wasn't surprised anymore. He had guessed it might be a struggle among the princes, and it turned out to be exactly that—so vulgar, and he was the one sacrificed.

"Why so quiet? Scared?"