Chapter Ninety-One: Tailing

In recent days, Su Hong had been vexed by matters in the manor. Today, after leaving court, he lay on a couch pretending to doze. Su Li’s rouge shop, Snow Beauty, was growing more and more famous, and the Su family could originally have used that momentum to wash away its former infamy. Yet everything had been ruined by Su Baihan’s offending the princess.

Now, whenever Su Hong went out and heard people speaking of him, it was always of the Su family’s fourth young lady having no upbringing and showing disrespect to the princess. His face was utterly disgraced.

Su San’er now suffered from an ailment that made childbearing difficult, and Su Dongxuan was timid and fearful. In Su Hong’s impression, she seemed never to have accomplished anything significant. Su Li was now his best choice. Frowning, Su Hong could only admit that he wished to rise still higher through marriage alliances, and Su Li was the most suitable candidate.

Su Li used the pretext of checking on Snow Beauty to leave the manor, then took the opposite direction once outside.

It had been some time since she last went to teach dancing, and she did not know whether the girls in the brothel still remembered her. As if recalling something amusing, she burst out laughing, only to stop when she saw Yu Xin staring at her in astonishment.

Unbeknownst to Su Li, a servant boy had been following behind her. Afraid of being discovered, he kept his distance, occasionally stopping to buy things from stalls along the roadside to cover himself.

Su Li brought Yu Xin in through the back entrance of the brothel, and was surprised to see Yun Yanyi there as well. She asked, “Your Highness, why are you here?”

Yu Xin hurriedly curtsied. “This servant pays respects to Your Highness.”

Yun Yanyi gave a cold snort. “Bring the person over.” A servant boy in gray-black clothing was pushed out, his hands tied with rope. Cold Wind saw him standing there in a daze and kicked him hard. His knees buckled, and he thudded to his knees before Yun Yanyi, whereupon he hastily begged for mercy. “Spare me, Eldest Miss, please spare me.”

Yun Yanyi looked at Su Li with disappointment and said in anger, “You truly are foolish. You were being followed and did not even know it. If anyone had ill designs on you, you would have died hundreds of times over already.”

Su Li could only touch her nose and smile ingratiatingly. “Your Highness, that is only because I have never encountered such a thing before.”

Yun Yanyi merely looked at her coldly. “Then what do you intend to do?”

“Your Highness, I must first ask him exactly who sent him, so I can learn what the person behind this meant to do,” Su Li said in a stern voice.

Yun Yanyi nodded and warned her, “If even such a small matter cannot be handled by you...”

Black lines seemed to appear on Su Li’s forehead, and she quickly replied, “Your Highness worries too much. Cold Guard, please help me bring him into the room. I want to question him first.”

When Yun Yanyi gave a nod, Cold Wind dragged the servant boy to an empty room. Su Li immediately followed. Once inside, she dismissed everyone else, leaving only herself and the servant boy in the room, one seated and the other kneeling.

Su Li’s fingers tapped lightly on the table without meaning to, one beat after another. For a long while she said nothing. The servant boy knelt on the floor, cold sweat pouring down and dripping onto the tiles, soon forming a small puddle.

When her patience was finally exhausted, Su Li asked, “Who sent you?”

There was no answer from below. Su Li let out a soft laugh. “You refuse to speak? Then I will simply hand you over to the prince. There is no need to waste my breath.”

The servant boy trembled all over and begged, “Spare this servant, Eldest Miss. This servant will confess everything. It was Madam who ordered me to follow the Eldest Miss, to note down everywhere the Eldest Miss went and everyone she met, and to report it all to Madam when I returned to the manor. This servant has said everything. Young lady, spare this servant’s life.” He knocked his head against the floor frantically. Su Li felt a chill in her heart. Her movements nearly had been exposed. If Yao Ruoshui learned that she had come to the brothel, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Having obtained the answer she wanted, Su Li opened the door. Seeing Yun Yanyi standing with his back to her, her heart warmed. She bowed in thanks and said, “Your Highness, you have worked hard today. Li is deeply grateful.”

“Finished asking?” Yun Yanyi asked calmly.

Su Li nodded. “He confessed everything. It was Mother who sent him.”

Yun Yanyi nodded and said lightly, “Since things are clear, you go on and teach them first. I will deal with this man.”

Shaken, Su Li asked, “Your Highness... how will you deal with him?”

Seeing her fear, Yun Yanyi said with a playful edge, “However he should be dealt with. What, you want to watch? If you do not obey me, this prince may also deal with you in such a way.”

A devilish voice sounded by Su Li’s ear, making her shiver. She did not dare look at Yun Yanyi again, and hurriedly pulled Yu Xin out with her. Yun Yanyi was too dangerous; she had better provoke him as little as possible. She should earn more silver and think of nothing else.

By the time Su Li arrived, the girls had already waited a long while. She cleared her mind and concentrated on teaching. Because of the special nature of the brothel, she planned to teach them something rather different today.

Looking at the group of dancers before her, each dressed in revealing gauze, Su Li nodded. “The dance I am teaching you today suits the clothes you are wearing very well. First, you must remember this: only by dancing with heart can you truly attract others.”

The women agreed. Then Su Li demonstrated once herself. Swaying her hips, lifting her waist, every gesture and movement was pure seduction. Her eyes would occasionally flick in a teasing glance, so captivating that one’s heart seemed about to go soft. Her body moved as supple as a serpent, seductive to the extreme. Yun Yanyi happened to witness this scene and only felt his face grow hot, his pulse quicken, and his mouth go dry.

He was just about to tell Su Li to stop when he heard the madam beside him exclaim in delighted praise, “Oh my, I never expected Miss Su to have such skill. At this rate, those patrons will be opening their purses without restraint.”

The madam asked curiously, “Your Highness, where did you invite this Miss Su from? She is so remarkable. If she came to our house, I, this madam, would surely make her the top courtesan.”

Yun Yanyi shot the madam a fierce glare and warned, “Ask about what you should ask. Do not pry into what is none of your business. And do not covet her.” Then, seeing Su Li performing so earnestly, he gave a cold snort and left in a fit of anger.

The madam twisted her handkerchief, and when Su Li had finished a section, she warmly wiped the sweat from her brow. In a voice several degrees brighter than usual, she said with all smiles, “Miss Su truly is a gifted person. You must come often to teach our girls in the future.”

“Madam is too kind. Have you all understood what I just showed you? Now try dancing it yourselves.” Su Li did not wish to deal with the madam any longer, and instead focused on the dancers before her. Seeing that they were learning earnestly, the madam did not interrupt further and left in high spirits.

Yao Ruoshui heard from the servants that Eldest Miss had already returned to the manor, but the person she had sent had not come back to report. She quickly ordered Lady Hua to find out what had happened.

By nightfall, Lady Hua came in shaking her head. “Madam, we also asked at that boy’s home. They said he has not returned all day today, as though he had vanished into thin air.”

“Are you certain he vanished, and did not simply go off somewhere to amuse himself?” Yao Ruoshui asked, clutching her handkerchief, her expression dark.

Lady Hua replied with certainty, “Madam can rest assured. Once that boy received Madam’s orders, he handled the matter diligently. He is normally honest as well. For him to disappear now, there must be some reason.”

Frowning, Yao Ruoshui muttered, “Could it be that she did it?” Once the thought arose, the more she considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

Lady Hua asked anxiously, “Has Madam already guessed who was behind it?”

“Lady Hua, do you think it is possible that she did it, to silence him?” Yao Ruoshui pointed toward the direction of Su Li’s courtyard, her voice growing colder and colder.

Hearing this, Lady Hua hesitated, then nodded. “It truly is possible that it was Eldest Miss. That boy disappeared after following behind Eldest Miss out of the manor.”

A shadow flickered across Yao Ruoshui’s eyes as she softly said, “It seems I can no longer underestimate her.” After this matter, Yao Ruoshui’s vigilance toward Su Li became greater than ever.

In the blink of an eye, spring arrived, and Su Hong’s birthday came around. Yao Ruoshui kept Su Baizhi at her side and assigned part of the arrangements to her. Su Baizhi was very meticulous. When Yao Ruoshui saw Su Hong, she smiled and praised, “My lord, this child Zhier has grown up. This time, for your birthday, I let her help with the preparations, and she was exceedingly attentive. She organized the vessels in perfect order.”