Chapter 5

I wasn’t like Song Shan, who had grown up among people who wore refinement on their faces.

Wear it long enough, and it almost looked real.

The people I had grown up around came from every walk of life.

Over time, I had learned to recognize the stench of a lowlife.

Han Chong might be dressed in exquisite silk, waving an ink-painted fan.

I could still smell the sleaze on him.

He probably assumed I was much the same.

So when he saw me, he didn’t bother with pretense.

He reached out, caught my arm, and pulled me down beside him.

Then he stroked my back with his pig’s trotter.

“I’ve heard so much about you, proprietress. You truly are an exquisite creature.”

I wanted to scald his pigskin with the hot water in the teapot.

But this wasn’t the time.

He was the exalted commander of the Imperial Guard.

His guards filled the street outside Spring Mountain House.

So I decided to smile and pour his tea for now.

“The commander whose fame fills the capital. I’ve long admired your great name.”

His laugh was lewd.

“Such a beauty, and such a sweet voice. I won’t beat about the bush.”

“How would you like to come with me and become my concubine?”

His concubine?

Hadn’t several of his concubines died just recently?

Rumor had it that he was violent and brutal.

The smallest displeasure brought blows and abuse.

He had gone through several concubines. None had lived long.

Even after marrying a princess, he dared behave this arrogantly.

Han Chong must have very powerful backing.

And now he had his eye on me?

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I couldn’t strike at Spring Mountain House for fear of involving the staff who toiled beside me from dawn till night.

Somewhere else, though, he could hardly blame me for being ruthless.

When I didn’t refuse, his smile grew even lewder.

He picked up a steamed bun and began to chew.

With his other hand, he pushed his fan into mine.

“Let this fan be my betrothal gift.”

“It’s an imperial treasure, a gift from Prince Xuan.”

“I’ll choose an auspicious day as soon as possible and bring you into my household.”

I kept him company while he ate and drank, then saw him off in his sedan chair.

Afterward, I went around to the kitchen and gave Niu San a look.

He whispered, “I put all the insects you gave me into the buns. Every last one.”

I nodded.

His cooking was good. Han Chong hadn’t noticed anything wrong.

That ought to keep him ill for ten days or a fortnight.

He visited Prince Xuan’s residence on the fifteenth of every month, and today was no exception.

I doubted he would dare make a fuss and investigate whose food had made him ill.

I looked down at the fan in my hand, deep in thought.

So Han Chong was Prince Xuan’s dog.

But why had they wanted Song Shan dead?