Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Second Young Master, please just give in to me.”

Crouching beside the straw mat, I placed my hand on Jiang Zhuye’s arm for the tenth time.

Sure enough, Jiang Zhuye shook off my hand for the tenth time, though with far less strength than before.

Even here on death row, his striking looks remained undiminished.

His upturned, phoenix-shaped eyes blazed with fury as he snarled, “Why in the world did Grandmother send you? If you have any sense of shame left, get out of here.”

My eyes widened. “Would you be willing if it were someone else?”

Jiang Zhuye must have been so angry that he lost his head. “I wouldn’t be willing no matter who came! Go back and tell Grandmother that I, Second Young Master Jiang, haven’t sunk so low that I need a taste of a woman before I die!”

“Second Young Master, you truly are a good man,” I praised him sincerely.

At that, Jiang Zhuye’s expression eased. He slowly closed his eyes and turned his head away.

“Since you understand, then leave…”

Before he could finish, his eyes flew open. He stared in disbelief at the hand roaming over his chest.

He was an upright and honorable gentleman, but I, Jinque, was not.

I had thrown away all sense of shame and begged the Old Madam to let me come here today. There was no chance I would leave empty-handed.

Besides, I needed the money the Old Madam had promised me. With it, I would finally have the thirty taels of silver needed to buy my little sister’s freedom.

And, truth be told, I really did like Jiang Zhuye.

I thought of him every day and lay awake longing for him every night.

As for the Jiang family’s desire to preserve his bloodline, I hadn’t given it much thought.

I, Jinque, had never been one for rules. If the Duke’s Manor hadn’t paid such generous monthly wages, why would I ever have sold myself into servitude?

First Young Master Jiang was a depraved libertine. The Jiang Family’s Third Son cared for nothing but walking his birds and betting on dogs, while Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master had picked up every last one of their brothers’ vile habits.

Only the Second Young Master, who had returned from military training three years ago, was somewhat pleasing to the eye.

Outsiders only knew that the Duke’s Manor was a grand and powerful household, where even the servants dressed better than common folk.

They didn’t know that the richer the household, the less it treated people like human beings.

After all the grievances I had suffered at the hands of the Jiang family, taking a few liberties with Second Young Master Jiang hardly seemed excessive.

I pinched my thigh hard enough to make tears well in my eyes.

“Second Young Master, I know there is a world of difference between our stations. I have never dared reveal these hopeless feelings and could only bury them deep in my heart. Now that the Old Madam has ordered me to preserve your bloodline, I beg the benevolent Second Young Master to grant this humble girl her wish, so that I may return and report that my duty is done.”

By now, the Soft-Bone Powder the Old Madam had given him had taken effect. Jiang Zhuye no longer had any strength in his arms. He slumped against the cell wall, powerless to stop me from having my way with him.

As he watched me tugging determinedly at his clothes, he suddenly laughed.

“Is that really true? I never knew you had such a silver tongue.”

Perhaps because I believed I would never see him again in this life, I no longer had any reservations.

“How would I dare speak freely in the manor? You didn’t see what happened to Xiaotaohong from Madam’s courtyard a few days ago. All she did was exchange a few extra words with the Third Young Master, and they sold her to a brothel.

“People like you, raised in gilded halls, could never understand how desperately we want to stay alive. But what choice do we have?”

When I saw Jiang Zhuye’s expression change, I slapped myself lightly across the mouth.

“Why am I telling you this? You probably don’t want to hear it anyway.”

But Jiang Zhuye said, “According to the law…”

“According to the law, no decent woman may be forced into prostitution, right?” I gave a soft laugh. “Xiaotaohong has no father or mother. She’ll never escape Spring Breeze House in this lifetime. Who would seek justice for her? Us? We’d probably disappear before we even reached the magistrate’s office.”

Jiang Zhuye’s hand slowly clenched against the floor, but I caught it in mine.

“Let’s not talk about this. The Old Madam is still waiting for me to report back…”

The training yard at the Duke’s Manor had been built especially for Jiang Zhuye.

Whenever the Sixth Miss sent me on an errand and I happened to pass by, nine times out of ten I would find him practicing martial arts bare-chested.

Beads of sweat would trail down the firm contours of his muscles, gleaming dazzlingly beneath the sun.

Back then, Buddhism was all the rage in the capital. Even the Old Emperor took the lead in preaching purity of mind and freedom from desire. That alone was enough to prove I would never belong among the rich and noble.

My own worldly desires were far from extinguished.

But when it came to the final step, I couldn’t stop trembling.

I glanced guiltily at Jiang Zhuye, only to find his eyes dark with unmistakable desire. When our gazes met, he even arched a brow at me.

“Lost your nerve? If you’re too scared, go back.”

Was he provoking me?

I steeled myself and pulled my trump card from my sleeve.

Bone-Bewitching Incense.

Tonight, there would be no turning back.

…

The sky was still dark when I emerged from the prison, one hand braced against my aching waist.

I knew the Old Madam wouldn’t have had the heart to use too strong a dose on her grandson. By the latter half of the night, the Soft-Bone Powder had completely worn off. The Bone-Bewitching Incense, on the other hand, had been brutally potent. If I hadn’t fled when I did, I might have died in there.

The Old Madam rose early. When I returned, she was turning prayer beads before the Buddha. After listening to my detailed account of Jiang Zhuye’s condition, she pondered for a moment and made a rare exception, granting me a full day of rest.

As for tomorrow?

By tomorrow, I would already be out of the city.

I had finally saved enough to buy my little sister’s freedom. Why would I stay at the Duke’s Manor? To actually bear Jiang Zhuye’s child?

All I wanted was to defy my station and sample a delicacy I could never otherwise taste in this lifetime. I had no intention of sacrificing the rest of my life for it.

I kept my silver and valuables hidden close to my body and packed only two changes of clothes into a small bundle.

Half an hour before the city gates closed, I would slip away. By the time the other maids in my room noticed I was gone, they wouldn’t be able to leave the city to chase me.

Once I reached Lingzhou and bought my little sister’s freedom, the two of us would find honest work and live a peaceful, stable life. Never again would we serve others.

Just as I was happily planning what we might do afterward, someone outside screamed at the top of their lungs.

“Disaster!”

“The Second Young Master has escaped from prison!”

“The Jinyi Wei are here to seize the manor!”