Chapter 115: The Premier Songstress of Dongguan State

A commotion stirred in front of the Fengyue Pavilion.

"Hey! Hey! What are you people doing?"
"Are you from the Bieying Pavilion so unreasonable?"
"Lady Yue! Lady Yue! The people from Bieying Pavilion are causing trouble!"
"..."

Following Guying’s gaze, one could see the plaque bearing the characters "Fengyue Pavilion" had been struck by Hongniang with a long pole, leaving it hanging askew, ready to fall at any moment. The young ladies of the pavilion shrieked at the top of their lungs, as if desperate to ensure the entire street knew of the disturbance.

Hongniang stood there, hands on her hips, brandishing the bamboo pole. "Call out the one in charge!"

The irony was palpable; it was the very same phrase Lady Yue had used when she and her sisters had come to demand Nanyan. Many passersby stopped to watch the spectacle, yet none showed any inclination to intervene.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the front courtyard, Guying slipped into the back garden, guided by the little creature, Xiaojianjian.

Inside, Lady Yue heard the shouts from outside and felt a prickle of unease, but Huhai remained comfortably ensconced, holding one of the pavilion’s girls in his arms.

"Did anyone see you abduct that little girl?" Lady Yue asked, displeased.

Huhai chuckled, kneading the girl’s soft, boneless hand. He was impatient and waved her away. "Who has time to watch a grown man like me? Get out! You’re ruining my mood!"

Lady Yue swallowed her retort, her expression turning savage. "Heh, once you’re dragged into this, do you really think you can walk away unscathed? That madman won't allow it. You’d better pray that what you did was flawless, or both of us will die!"

Huhai remained indifferent. His aunt, the Imperial Concubine, doted on him and had quietly smoothed over many messes for him throughout the years. It was just the Bieying Pavilion—he didn't believe they could summon honest officials from the imperial court, let alone the Emperor himself.

His fleshy face creased into folds like wriggling maggots as he leered obscenely. "Hehe, little vixen... here I come..."

The girl on the bed endured her revulsion, forcing a delicate and soft expression. "Sir..."

...

Guying bypassed the guards and reached the roof of the woodshed, the only place left unguarded. Prying off a moss-covered tile, he looked down into the pitch-dark room, where faint, labored breathing could be heard.

He moved with cat-like stealth, removing another tile before jumping down and landing silently. He pulled out a night-luminescent pearl to light the room.

In the corner, Ayue lay curled up. Rope burns crisscrossed her skin, and dried blood and tears caked her cheeks. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she was so frail and listless that she lacked the vitality she had possessed when she was first brought here.

Guying clenched his fists so tightly he nearly crushed the pearl. His eyes, filled with a mixture of tenderness and burning rage, welled with tears. "I am sorry. Brother is late."

Ayue seemed to hear him; she lifted her head, suppressing her pain. "Brother... you finally came... Ayue waited for... Brother..."

Exhausted, she lost consciousness.

Xiaojianjian scurried out from Guying’s sleeve, gnawing at the knots in the rope. The soft, rhythmic scratching sound was unnervingly loud in the quiet room. As the ropes fell, Guying caught the collapsing Ayue and looked down at the large white rat. "Thank you, Rat God."

Xiaojianjian’s eyes sparkled. *Wow! This person—he has good taste!* It decided it wouldn't hold a grudge against him for calling it the "Wise and Valiant Xiaojianjian."

Outside, the voices of patrolling guards drifted in.
"Did you hear something strange just now?"
"Probably not. Are you hearing things?"
"No, better be safe. Let's go check if the hostage in the woodshed is still there."

Footsteps drew closer. Guying hid Ayue in a pile of firewood and pressed himself behind the door, holding his breath.

*Creak—*

Xiaojianjian acted as bait, sitting in the most obvious spot, its white fur shimmering in the darkness. The two burly guards entered and let out a sigh of relief. "Pah! It’s just a rat? Don't startle me like that."
"This rat is so fat, I wonder how much grease it’s eaten."

Xiaojianjian could endure it no longer. These two thugs were insulting the wise and valiant Xiaojianjian!

*[Close the door and beat the dog!]*

Before the guards realized the gravity of the situation, the door behind them slowly clicked shut. Xiaojianjian leaped into the air. "[Ah-dah!]"

It threw two punches at the guards, though they lacked any real force.

"Hey, this rat is scratching me. Tomorrow, I'll buy some mousetraps—ugh..."

The guard beside him collapsed slowly. The other felt a chill behind him, but before he could react, he fell to the ground in the exact same fashion.

Guying clapped his hands and placed his right hand on the floor. Xiaojianjian scampered onto his shoulder. *[Pah! Ugly people are full of mischief! So what if I'm a rat? A rat can beat you up too!]*

Xiaojianjian muttered to itself as Guying quickly scooped up Ayue from the woodpile and, following the rat’s lead, slipped past the remaining guards.

...

A moment later, flames roared through the Fengyue Pavilion!

"It’s a disaster! The person Lady Yue and the Pavilion Master wanted has escaped!"

...

Guying returned Ayue to the Bieying Pavilion and left her in the care of Luoyue before hurrying away again. Luoyue fed Ayue a pill and gave her some water, and her complexion slowly began to flush with life. It seemed the people at Fengyue Pavilion hadn't tortured the girl; she had merely suffered from being bound. The rope marks, however, would likely take some time to heal.

Luoyue washed the blood from Ayue, and the other sisters, having received the news, hurried back to the pavilion. They already knew of the evils committed by the Fengyue Pavilion and had just reported them to the authorities. Soon, they would have their revenge for Ayue!

Lianwu looked at Ayue, her heart aching. She and Luoyue were the youngest, but because Luoyue was quiet and multi-talented, they all called her "Sister Luoyue." Now that a new, even younger girl had arrived, she had finally hoped to experience being an older sister herself. "Ayue, you must get better soon..."

...

The entire Fengyue Pavilion was in chaos. Mu Liao could no longer maintain his mask of composure. "What are you all good for? A living person just vanished into thin air?"

The guards hung their heads. "Young Master..."

"Don't call me Young Master! You bunch of useless fools! Get out and keep searching!"

The guards bowed and backed out of the pavilion, not daring to let out a breath.

Lady Yue, too, was desperate to leave. Hadn't Huhai promised that he wouldn't draw the authorities? So who were these people surrounding the entrance, standing in solidarity with the Bieying Pavilion?

"Officer, please, listen to me. We were just doing business tonight when the people from Bieying Pavilion came with weapons and smashed our plaque. We, the Fengyue Pavilion, are the ones being wronged here."

The burly magistrate before her wasn't buying it. "I hear you’ve kidnapped one of their people. May we go inside and search? Once we’ve searched, the truth will be revealed!"

Seeing the officers about to break down the doors, Lady Yue tried to block them. "Officer! It would be better if I consulted my Young Master first!"

The magistrate didn't even blink. "Search!"

Lady Yue could only watch in despair as the magistrate’s men flooded into the Fengyue Pavilion, their sudden intrusion causing screams to erupt from every room.