When Prince Li finally arrived at the entrance of the gambling house, he let out another long sigh before stepping inside with heavy footsteps.
The guards standing at the entrance were surprised to see him. They immediately bowed and greeted him respectfully, but hesitated when it came to allowing him to enter.
"Don't worry. I'm not here on official business. I simply... wish to see Lady FengHuang."
One of the guards immediately went inside to announce his arrival. The message was then passed along by a bookie, who personally went to inform Lady FengHuang.
It wasn't long before the guard returned and respectfully invited Prince Li inside.
As soon as he entered the gambling hall, one of the bookies recognized him and couldn't help shouting,
"Prince Li! It's the Seventh Prince!"
The entire gambling hall suddenly fell silent.
It was extremely rare for the Seventh Prince to visit such a place. More importantly, almost everyone here knew exactly how Prince Li felt about gambling.
He hated it.
Seeing the Seventh Prince appear inside a gambling house was almost as unbelievable as seeing a fish climb a tree.
Prince Li could feel the mixture of curiosity and fear in the eyes of everyone around him, but he paid them no attention.
Just then, a servant approached and bowed respectfully.
"Please follow me, Prince Li. Lady FengHuang is waiting for Your Highness in her private room."
Prince Li frowned slightly.
He really didn't want to be alone in a room with Lady FengHuang.
"Why doesn't she come downstairs to meet me? I'll wait here."
The servant was taken aback. Clearly, she hadn't expected the prince to refuse Lady FengHuang's invitation.
"Th-This..."
Prince Li didn't bother waiting for her to find an answer. Instead, he deliberately raised his voice so everyone nearby could hear him.
"Tell your Lady to come downstairs and meet me here. I only need to ask her one simple question, and then I'll leave. I won't take up too much of her time."
The servant had no choice but to return upstairs and relay his words.
Not long afterward, she came back.
"I'm sorry, Prince Li. Lady FengHuang says that she isn't feeling well enough to come downstairs. However, she is willing to answer Your Highness's questions if you would kindly meet her in her private room. Otherwise... I'm afraid there is nothing she can do to help you. Please forgive us!"
That woman! She's playing games with me again...
Prince Li let out another sigh.
"Fine..."
With that, he reluctantly followed the servant upstairs.
The moment Prince Li entered the private room, the strong fragrance of incense immediately assaulted his senses.
He frowned slightly. The smell was far too overpowering for his liking.
As soon as he stepped inside, the servant who had escorted him quietly closed the door behind him.
For some reason, Prince Li suddenly felt like a trapped animal.
There was no one else in the room except for a beautiful woman reclining on a long couch, leisurely sipping tea.
It was Lady FengHuang.
Her dress was deliberately revealing, exposing her shoulders, a generous portion of her cleavage, and part of her upper thigh. She was reclining in an alluring position, clearly accustomed to attracting the attention of men with her appearance.
Any ordinary man would probably have found it difficult to take his eyes off such a seductive sight.
Unfortunately for her, Prince Li was no ordinary man.
He had been raised with strict teachings about proper conduct and traditional morality. In his eyes, a respectable woman should know how to behave with dignity and modesty.
If he were to name an example of an alluring woman, it would be someone like ShuangAi, who always paid attention to her appearance and dressed appropriately without unnecessarily exposing herself.
Prince Li immediately turned his face away.
He actually felt embarrassed just looking at Lady FengHuang's exposed body.
And strangely enough, that reaction only made Lady FengHuang more interested in him.
A charming smile appeared on her lips as she spoke in her sweetest voice.
"Ah... What a wonderful dream I must have had last night! What brings Your Highness to visit me all alone today?"
Prince Li cleared his throat, trying to compose himself and focus despite the overwhelming fragrance in the room.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lady FengHuang. I came here to ask about a young man who visited this place today... Someone rather small and slender, almost like a girl."
"Oh? A young man?"
Lady FengHuang tilted her head slightly, pretending to think.
"Hmm... There are so many young men coming and going in this place. It's rather difficult for me to remember everyone."
She picked up the teapot and poured herself another cup of tea. After placing the pot on the nearby table, she slowly approached Prince Li.
"Perhaps you could give me a more specific description, Your Highness. Otherwise, how could I possibly help you?"
She smiled seductively before offering him a cup of tea.
"But since you've already taken the trouble to visit me... why don't you have a drink with me first?"
As she offered the cup, she deliberately leaned her body toward him, attempting to close the distance between them.
Prince Li politely accepted the cup.
However, instead of drinking it, he immediately placed it back on the table and took a step away from her.
His sudden movement almost caused Lady FengHuang to lose her balance.
"No, thank you, Lady FengHuang. I really need to find that young man. He... is very important to me."
Lady FengHuang's smile stiffened slightly.
"Then why don't you describe him to me?"
She was becoming somewhat irritated. Her usual seductive tactics didn't seem to be working on this particular man.
Nevertheless, she quickly concealed her displeasure.
While Prince Li was concentrating on recalling HuaMuTan's appearance, Lady FengHuang moved behind a decorative metal incense burner. Without attracting his attention, she quietly added some powder to the burning incense.
Then she returned her gaze to him.
Prince Li began describing HuaMuTan as carefully as he could.
"Well... his eyes are slightly bigger, his nose is small, and his lips are..."
He suddenly stopped.
Something felt wrong.
A strange warmth was spreading through his body, making him increasingly uncomfortable.
Lady FengHuang noticed his hesitation.
"Aiya... Isn't it rather hot in here, Prince Li?"
She slowly approached him again, lowering the neckline of her dress slightly while running her fingers along her collarbone.
Once again, she was trying to seduce him.
But this time, something was different.
"CRASH!"
Prince Li suddenly lost his balance and accidentally knocked the teapot off the table.
It shattered against the floor, producing a loud noise that could even be heard from the adjoining room.
I knew it... Coming here was a bad idea! This woman...!
Prince Li finally realized something was wrong.
The strange warmth, his growing dizziness, and the difficulty he was having concentrating...
He had probably been drugged without even realizing it.
He needed to get out of this room before it was too late.
"Well... if you can't help me, then please excuse me. I think I should leave now."
He turned toward the door.
However, before he could take another step, Lady FengHuang swiftly wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"No... Please don't go, My Prince."
She pressed herself against his back and whispered sweetly,
"Look at me... Please, look at me carefully..."
"Let go of me. I warn you..."
Prince Li struggled to remove her arms. His vision was becoming increasingly blurred, making it difficult for him to focus.
When he finally turned around and saw Lady FengHuang's face, his eyes widened in shock.
For some inexplicable reason, he wasn't seeing Lady FengHuang anymore.
Instead, he was seeing someone else.
"You...?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "You drugged me...! Let me go, or..."
"Or what?" Lady FengHuang giggled mischievously. "Are you going to arrest me?"
She laughed softly, seemingly delighted by his weakened condition.
"Hihihi... Oh, My Prince. Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment? My heart has belonged to you for such a long time. I know that deep inside your heart, you desire me too... Don't you, My Prince?"
Prince Li blinked repeatedly, desperately trying to clear his vision.
But no matter how hard he tried, the image before him refused to change.
The drug was taking complete control of his senses.
"No... I don't... want you... I..."
His voice gradually weakened.
His resistance was fading, and the person he thought he was seeing seemed to become increasingly real.
Lady FengHuang smiled triumphantly.
"Yes... That's right. You want me..."
Prince Li stared at her in a daze.
Then, almost mechanically, he whispered,
"I... want... you..."
Lady FengHuang's smile widened.
"Yes... I'm the one you desire, My Love."
She gently took his hand and began leading him toward the bed.
"Come... Let's go to bed."
She guided him down onto the mattress before leaning closer.
"You know, My Prince... I've wanted you for such a long time. Last time, that wicked woman stole you away from me. But this time..."
She gently caressed his face, her eyes filled with possessiveness.
"...No one will steal you away from me again. You're mine, Prince Li..."
Lady FengHuang slowly leaned forward, preparing to kiss him.