Xie Yu happily shook Shen Changyin's shoulders several times. Joy turned to tragedy when she pulled at the stitches of her wound, baring her teeth in pain.
She placed a hand on Shen Changyin's shoulder, stood on one leg, and put almost all her weight on Shen Changyin.
She knew she wasn't light, and she knew Shen Changyin's build was slender, but she hadn't expected Shen Changyin to stand firmly in place, acting as her support without swaying even once.
She even reached out to steady her.
Xie Yu regained her balance and shifted some weight off Shen Changyin.
Shen Changyin said, "It's fine. You can lean on me. I won't let you fall."
Xie Yu replied, "I should be touched by that, but for some reason, I feel a strong sense of danger."
"Between the two of us, I'm supposed to be the physically stronger one. Now it feels like you've stolen my role."
She insisted on not relying on Shen Changyin, pulled her hand back, and dragged her leg forward.
"I'm perfectly fine. Let's go buy your outer robe."
Occasionally, passing customers stared at her in shock. She stubbornly refused to change, preferring to embarrass herself in public rather than lean on Shen Changyin.
She spotted a cushioned chair in a corner, dragged herself over, and sat down.
Shen Changyin followed at an unhurried pace.
Displayed around the soft chair were also outer robes. After looking around, both of them pointed at the same lotus-pink gauze outer robe.
"This one suits you."
Shen Changyin lifted the sleeve and felt the fabric, then nodded.
The customs were open these days, and an outer robe was only an extra layer over normal clothing. Shen Changyin didn't bother going to a fitting room. She removed the plain white outer robe she was wearing and tossed it to Xie Yu.
Her aim wasn't great. Xie Yu reached out, but the robe still smacked her in the face.
Shen Changyin's robe covered her head, and the clean, warm fragrance of the fabric instantly became her entire world. Xie Yu paused, then pulled it off her face.
Shen Changyin had already put on the lotus-pink outer robe.
The gauze was semi-transparent, revealing the pale moon-white dress beneath. The colors had depth and texture.
Xie Yu realized her taste was right. Lotus pink suited Shen Changyin very well—it made her skin look fairer, added warmth, reduced her sickly aura, and made her look like a healthy woman who could live a long life.
Shen Changyin held a matching lotus-pink belt, loosely wrapped it around her waist a few times, then brought both hands behind her back, holding the ends.
She walked up to Xie Yu and turned around. "Tie it for me."
Warmth and incense washed over her again. The lotus pink peeked through Shen Changyin's fingers.
Xie Yu took the belt ends and pulled gently. The belt tightened at once, outlining Shen Changyin's waist.
Her left index finger unconsciously traced the curve of Shen Changyin's waist in the air.
Realizing what she was doing, her hand jerked as if burned. She lowered her eyes, the lotus-pink fabric fluttering in her hands, the bow stubbornly refusing to take shape.
Shen Changyin turned her head in confusion. "Is it done?"
"Done." Xie Yu decisively tied the bow.
Shen Changyin walked to the mirror and looked sideways at the outfit. "Does it look good?"
Xie Yu leaned back against the chair. "Turn around."
Shen Changyin slowly spun once, showing every angle.
Xie Yu was still dissatisfied. Her hand rested on the armrest, her glossy finger tapping lightly on the ebony wood. "Not like that. Faster—like dancing. Make the hem fly."
Shen Changyin suddenly laughed. "Third Highness, what are you doing now?"
Xie Yu replied, "Just helping Lady Shen choose clothes."
"I see." Shen Changyin stepped closer and stood in front of her, her right leg nearly touching Xie Yu's knee.
Looking down at her, Shen Changyin said, "Standing closer should make it easier to see."
Xie Yu tilted her head up casually, still holding Shen Changyin's robe. "Is that so?"
Shen Changyin placed a hand on the top of the chair back, nearly enclosing Xie Yu. She bent down until only inches separated their foreheads.
"There's bamboo-leaf embroidery hidden on the shoulder of this robe. Can you see it clearly, Third Highness?"
Xie Yu swallowed. "I see it."
"Is it beautiful?"
Xie Yu kept staring at her features. "Very beautiful."
Shen Changyin lowered her head slightly more. Their foreheads almost touched, her lashes fluttering, seeming to brush Xie Yu's skin.
Xie Yu lifted her chin just a bit, their noses touching, and saw her own reflection in Shen Changyin's pupils.
Shen Changyin gently pressed a hand against the back of Xie Yu's head, fingers sinking into her dark hair.
"I think, Third Highness, you know what comes next."
Xie Yu blinked. Just as she was about to move further, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
Shen Changyin immediately straightened. Xie Yu also sat upright, staring at the ceiling and the floor, breathing rapidly and shaking her head.
The passing customer only glanced at them casually and walked away.
Shen Changyin let out a breath and looked back at Xie Yu.
Xie Yu said, "I want to add another clause. No kissing."
She looked as if she had just woken from a dream—eyes bright, thoughts suddenly clear.
She repeated, "No kissing."
Her heart pounded violently. She clenched the robe in her hands so tightly that deep wrinkles formed.
She felt like she was about to have a heart attack.
All Shen Changyin's fault.
Shen Changyin didn't answer. She removed the lotus-pink robe, took her own robe back from Xie Yu, and smoothed out the wrinkles.
"Shall we check out?" She held the lotus-pink robe in her left hand and extended her right hand to Xie Yu.
Xie Yu looked at the hand, then at her.
"You promised to hold hands."
In the end, Xie Yu stood up and took her hand—not interlocking fingers, just holding a few of Shen Changyin's fingers.
They walked in silence.
Everything in the shop suddenly became extremely interesting. Xie Yu looked at clothes, jewelry, architecture—anything but Shen Changyin.
Only after leaving the fabric shop did they start talking again.
"Want to eat nearby?"
Xie Yu looked at the restaurant ahead. It had a strong design sense, seven stories tall, with wide open-air corridors on each floor. Women played zithers, tended flowers, or practiced swordplay. It looked extremely elegant.
"This is the Golden Pavilion," Shen Changyin said, as if reading her thoughts. "Those women are all staff. Their actions are just a way to attract customers."
Xie Yu looked at the beautiful women, none of them heavily adorned or even wearing makeup. "I thought a place called the Golden Pavilion would be more… extravagant."
Shen Changyin smiled. "The Golden Pavilion has many styles, but it's never plain."
"By day, it wears a refined outer skin. By night, it becomes the city's largest den of excess—auctions, gambling halls, lavish banquets. It has everything."
"I once said that the same dish costs six or seven times more in West Seventh Ward than elsewhere. In the Golden Pavilion, that same dish costs five hundred times more."
Xie Yu sucked in a breath. "Five hundred times? That's insane."
The crown princess of the dynasty spoke in shock. "There are so many rich people in this world—why can't one more of them be me?"
She often said things with a very personal flair. Shen Changyin was already used to it and laughed. "Come on. Let's try the Golden Pavilion's food."
Xie Yu shook her head like a rattle drum. "Too expensive. Not going. I'm poor."
Shen Changyin said, "But you are about to marry someone wealthy. I'll treat you."
"Thank you," Xie Yu replied. "Please convert the money you'd spend treating me into silver and give it to me directly."
Xie Yu refused to go no matter what, but her attention was soon drawn to the owner standing at the entrance on the first floor welcoming guests.
That woman was clearly over forty. Her figure was full and mature, and although her fair skin was well cared for, fine lines had still appeared. The expression on her face was unmistakably that of a middle-aged woman. Yet her eyes were exceptionally clear and bright, almost like those of a sixteen-year-old girl.
Shen Changyin felt a trace of dissatisfaction, but noticing something odd in Xie Yu's expression, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie Yu chose her words carefully. "Would you believe beauty advice from someone ugly? Would you let someone who can't even recite a book properly teach your child?"
"Do you remember the case we talked about earlier, the children whose tears were taken? I originally wanted to have informants follow the household mistresses to find where they buy and take those beauty pills. But I just realized—I don't need to look for that place. I can find it myself."
"All I need are two conditions."
"First, you can't persuade nobles to go somewhere low-class. That place must be a high-end pleasure establishment."
"Second, you need to demonstrate the effects of your product to those nobles. In this case, if you're selling pills that make people's eyes clear and bright, then you yourself must have a pair of clear, bright eyes."
She tilted her chin toward the owner of the Golden Pavilion. "Do you think this place—and her—meet those two conditions?"
Shen Changyin said, "They do. Then all the more reason for us to eat at the Golden Pavilion today."
Xie Yu shook her head and refused.
"The sales channels for the Children's Tear pills are very tightly controlled. Ordinary nobles don't even know they exist. That means the people behind it have a very strict screening process for their clients—most likely an old-customer-brings-new-customer model."
"Even if we go eat there and probe a little, she won't admit that the establishment offers this kind of service. Worse, it could alert her."
"This matter requires careful, long-term planning."
Since Xie Yu insisted, Shen Changyin did not press further. The two boarded a carriage and returned to the prince's residence.
That evening, their dinner was simple: thin noodles in clear pork-lard broth, fluffy fried eggs with crispy edges, and greens stir-fried with rendered fat.
It was a meal ordinary commoners could afford, yet the two of them ate with particular comfort.
They talked about the Golden Pavilion, but both deliberately avoided mentioning the kiss that might have happened in the cloth shop earlier that day.
—
Xie Yu's leg healed remarkably fast—faster than Physician Zhang had expected.
Five days before the wedding, Physician Zhang came to remove her stitches and said regretfully, "It still left a scar."
Xie Yu touched the long, uneven mark on the side of her right leg. "Not a big problem. As long as the leg works, it's fine. No one else will see it anyway."
"Unfortunately," she added mournfully, "once the stitches are out, it means I have to attend court again tomorrow."
She lamented, "I don't want to go to work."
Her sorrow, however, did not change reality. The next morning, she obediently got up and went to court with Shen Changyin.
She had not attended court for quite some time, and many officials greeted her when they saw her.
One sharp-eyed official remarked, "The jade pendant on Her Highness seems to match Regent Shen's. Are they a pair?"
Xie Yu nodded. "They are a pair. She bought them specially for the two of us."
The officials laughed.
Just then, Shen Changyin walked over. "What are you talking about?"
She naturally took Xie Yu's hand, and Xie Yu just as naturally interlaced their fingers.
A whole swath of surrounding officials felt utterly defeated by the display.
"Young people usually keep their distance before marriage. They're all shy about it. You two don't seem to have that habit."
"Exactly. I didn't even see my wife for a whole month before our wedding. I missed her terribly."
Shen Changyin said calmly, "Her Highness and I are both busy with official duties. We don't see each other often, so spending more time together is only natural."
Xie Yu enthusiastically played along. "Yes, she can't bear to be apart from me."
After some teasing, the doors of the Hall of Diligent Governance opened, and everyone went in to attend court.
When the empress saw that Xie Yu had finally returned to court, her expression visibly improved. She said generously, "Your wedding day is approaching, isn't it? After the wedding, I'll grant you a month of marital leave."
Such a good thing existed?
Xie Yu's eyes lit up. She hadn't expected the empress to be thoughtful enough to grant a honeymoon leave, and she immediately began planning where to travel.
She had already visited most of the fun places in the capital. This time, she wanted to go somewhere farther away to enjoy the mountains and rivers.
After the court dismissed, officials dispersed like a tide. Xie Yu spotted Shen Changyin in the crowd and quickly grabbed her sleeve.
"Let's go play, let's go play, let's go play," she chanted repeatedly.
Shen Changyin was also in a good mood. "Where does Your Highness want to go?"
"The seaside," Xie Yu said, having already planned it out. She tried hard to persuade Shen Changyin. "It's far, and the journey takes time, but it'll definitely be worth it. We'll take Little Flower too and go beachcombing."
Shen Changyin said, "Alright."
"Huh?" Xie Yu hadn't expected her to agree so easily. All the arguments she had prepared died in her throat. "You're agreeing just like that?"
"Yes." Shen Changyin smiled at her. "I still need to meet with several officials."
"Ah, and I have to investigate a case too."
"Goodbye, Little Xie."
Xie Yu waved back. "Goodbye, Little Shen."
"I'm older than you," Shen Changyin pointed out.
Xie Yu, now in an excellent mood after finalizing the seaside trip, was infinitely tolerant. "Goodbye, Sister."
Shen Changyin paused, looked at her carefully, and her voice suddenly became hoarse. "Mm. Goodbye."
The two parted ways.
Afterward, Xie Yu finished her duties for the day, then slipped out of the palace. She changed into a laborer's outfit with practiced ease, darkened her complexion with powder, and blended in among the workers at the Golden Pavilion, heading straight to the back kitchen.
"Private room seven on the third floor has finished eating. You two, go clear the dishes."
The kitchen supervisor was assigning tasks.
Xie Yu's eyes flicked around. She followed the two workers assigned to clean up. Once they were halfway done, she walked in and said, "Sisters, they're calling you downstairs. They're waiting for the dishes."
The two workers stopped and looked at her, puzzled. They didn't recognize her, but her manner was so natural that they assumed they should.
Xie Yu glanced at the table. "Never mind, I'll help you clean up."
She worked swiftly, clearing dishes while chatting. "Oh, you don't know yet—I'm new today. My surname is Jiang. Just call me Dayu."
So she was new.
The two workers exchanged a glance, finally understanding why they didn't recognize her. They greeted her and continued working.
With Xie Yu's help, their workload was greatly reduced. After delivering the dishes to the kitchen, Xie Yu took out two small wine pouches and handed them over.
"Sisters, I'm new and don't know much about how things work here. Could you teach me?"
Using this kind of casual probing, Xie Yu quickly learned the layout of the Golden Pavilion.
The first three floors were for dining—just divided into the main hall, private rooms, and VIP suites.
From the fourth floor upward, dining was no longer the main focus. Instead, those floors housed casinos, auction halls, and private rooms used by corrupt officials for illicit dealings.
The attendants on the fourth floor and above were separate from those on the lower floors and wore distinct blue-and-white dresses.
The staircase leading upward was guarded to keep unauthorized people out. Only guests accompanied by blue-and-white-clad attendants were allowed upstairs.
After understanding the situation, Xie Yu's eyes darted around. She observed quietly for a while and soon locked onto an attendant wearing blue and white.
She wiped her face clean, revealing a face undeniably pretty. She splashed some water on the stairs, and when the other woman slipped, Xie Yu rushed forward to help her up.
The woman steadied herself quickly, her face slightly flushed. "Thank you, little sister."
Xie Yu gave her a bright smile.
Internally, she thought that Shen Changyin absolutely must never find out she'd used a "saving-a-beauty" trick.
Before long, she successfully convinced the woman to take her upstairs to help out on the fourth floor and above.
—
Meanwhile, on Shen Changyin's side, she met with several officials.
These officials were not part of her faction and belonged to the unaffiliated group in the capital, but recently they had been actively trying to align themselves with her.
They exchanged polite evasions for a while before discussing actual matters. By the time they finished, dusk had fallen.
The officials exchanged glances and suddenly said, "When the mountain floods happened, it was said that Her Highness uncovered many children whose tears had been extracted. Is Regent Shen investigating this recently?"
Shen Changyin's heart stirred, but her expression remained calm. "You are all very well informed."
"Regent Shen cares deeply for the country and its people, investigating even such minor matters with full dedication. You are truly a role model for us all. With Regent Shen, the nation is truly fortunate."
Shen Changyin did not respond.
"One thing is this—we greatly admire Regent Shen's integrity and have long looked up to you. Now that it's getting late, we've prepared a banquet at a restaurant. Would Regent Shen be willing to honor us with her presence?"
The official's tone was overtly flattering.
Shen Changyin was about to refuse when they continued.
"We hear that the Golden Pavilion has recently brought in several singers from the south, far superior to the rest. Someone as refined as Regent Shen would surely appreciate them."
The Golden Pavilion?
Shen Changyin looked at the officials before her, considered for a moment, and said, "Alright."
Several officials broke into broad smiles.
To prevent any problems, Shen Changyin brought both Old Jin and Zhu Ting along, and quietly ordered them to summon a small squad to keep watch near the Golden Pavilion.
Upon arriving at the Golden Pavilion, the leading official bent at the waist, one hand constantly extended as she guided Shen Changyin forward.
They went straight up to the seventh floor.
The moment they reached the seventh floor, ethereal singing drifted through the air, accompanied by the soft chime of bells at the ankles of dancers stepping barefoot across the carpet.
Beneath their feet lay Persian carpets worth a fortune per roll—thick, heavy, and exquisitely intricate in pattern.
The incense burning in the corridor censers was agarwood of near-tribute quality.
This Golden Pavilion truly lived up to its reputation as the capital's greatest den of extravagance.
Even the imperial palace did not display such scenes. Though the empress trusted Daoist practitioners, she was not an extreme hedonist.
The officials had reserved the most expensive private suite on the seventh floor—a full set of rooms.
Upon entering, there was a dining area with a round table and a finely crafted couch.
A gauze screen stood nearby. Behind it lay a bedroom, where a bed could be vaguely seen, along with a dancer performing inside and a singer playing a zither.
Shen Changyin grew even more cautious.
Because of her status, she sat on the couch, while the officials moved stools and sat lower.
They respectfully invited her to drink tea and cautiously began to chat.
During the conversation, Shen Changyin finally understood what these people wanted.
They had been involved in the Children's Tear case and wanted her to show mercy—to let them off and stop the investigation.
As for why they had not approached Xie Yu—
The entire investigative team belonged to Shen Changyin, and Xie Yu never appeared personally, so people in the capital naturally assumed Shen Changyin was the one handling the case.
As they talked, they not only offered tens of thousands of taels of gold, but also subtly implied that if Shen Changyin wished, the singer and dancer behind the screen were at her disposal.
Shen Changyin even smiled. "Do you not know that I am already betrothed to the crown princess? Our wedding is in five days."
The officials immediately adopted knowing expressions. "Of course, Regent Shen. That is precisely why the crown princess will never find out about tonight. We see nothing, hear nothing, and remember nothing."
Shen Changyin casually probed them further and learned that they genuinely believed the rumor that the Third Highness and the regent had already fallen out of love, merely pretending affection to gain greater power.
She felt disgusted, but showed none of it on her face. She only waved a hand, dismissing the singer and dancer.
These people were still useful. She had no intention of turning on them immediately, but she already had a plan for how to fully exploit them before disposing of them.
"You misunderstand me," Shen Changyin said. "Though the crown princess and I are not deeply in love, I am not someone who indulges in debauchery."
"Tonight, let us simply eat a proper meal. Nothing more."
Watching her expression, the officials quickly took the hint and backed down, smiling ingratiatingly. "Yes, yes. Regent Shen is truly upright and noble in character."
After some idle conversation, they found an excuse about checking whether the dishes were ready and left the room.
Once outside, one of them ground her teeth. "She's completely immune to temptation. Those singers and dancers are the most exquisite beauties in the capital. What now?"
"She's just good at pretending," another said. "Everyone has desires. It's only a matter of how you provoke them."
"Have the singer and dancer wait nearby. Once the drug takes effect, we'll send them in. Do you think she'll still be able to remain composed then? We'll withdraw and leave her in the room—much easier to handle."
"Doesn't she still have two subordinates inside?"
"Are there really subordinates so blind as to ruin their superior's pleasure? They'll withdraw with us."
"Is your drug really effective?"
"Of course. The owner personally recommended it. The Golden Pavilion is professional at this kind of thing."
While they whispered outside, Shen Changyin sat inside, gazing at the untouched tea and breathing in the expensive agarwood incense. She said to Old Jin:
"Bring in a few people. Watch the kitchen closely. Be careful with the food."
At the same time, Xie Yu followed the blue-and-white-dressed attendant up to the fourth floor. While cleaning a private room, she suddenly twitched her nose and sniffed the air several times.
Ever since being drugged at the Fragrant Smoke Pavilion, she had felt deep humiliation and vowed never to let it happen again. She had systematically studied the materials used in ancient aphrodisiacs—how to identify them, what ingredients they used, and what they smelled like.
She was absolutely certain that besides agarwood, a type of aphrodisiac incense was quietly burning in this room's censer.
—
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