Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Shengsheng Zhou wanted to weep as she looked at the woman before her, whose face powder was thicker than plaster.
“Look at her!” Du Sanniang pointed furiously at Shengsheng and berated the servant behind her. “Did you abduct the right person?”
The servant hunched his shoulders.
“The two of them wore identical clothes. How was I supposed to know I grabbed the wrong one?”
His attempt to defend himself enraged Du Sanniang. She kicked him viciously.
“Get out! Useless fool. You ruin everything you touch!”
Du Sanniang was the madam of the Crimson Delight House. On the surface, she operated a legitimate pleasure house. In secret, she was a human trafficker who targeted beautiful young women.
The previous day, she heard that two foreigners had arrived in town, one of them exceptionally striking. She went to look for herself.
The girl in white possessed the purest air Du Sanniang had seen in all her years of business.
Wealthy merchants loved precisely that sort of beauty.
Thus, Du Sanniang formed wicked intentions.
Only for her servant to seize the wrong woman.
The thought made her furious all over again.
Still…
She lifted Shengsheng’s chin and studied her face carefully.
“You aren’t much to look at, but that red mole does have a certain charm.”
She snorted.
“From now on, your name is Xiaohong.”
Shengsheng stared at her.
To hell with Xiaohong.
Other girls received names like Purple Cuckoo, Green Lotus, Peony, and Paeonia.
Why was she stuck with Xiaohong?
“Don’t think about escaping.” Du Sanniang smiled and swayed toward the door. “Once you fall into my hands, you spend the rest of your life here.”
The door closed. A lock clicked outside.
Shengsheng could only marvel at her dreadful luck.
*A-Pang, if you don’t think of something soon, I’m going to be Xiaohong for the rest of my life.*
The plump little red panda flew from her hair with both paws pressed over their mouth. They had been suppressing laughter for a very long time, especially after hearing Du Sanniang bestow the name.
*What’s wrong with Xiaohong? It sounds more fashionable than Tail!*
A-Pang spun in the air, eyes curved with laughter.
*Thank you so very much. Go look through the crack in the door. Are there guards outside?*
A-Pang flew over and peered out.
*Two.*
*Do you have some powder that can knock people unconscious?*
After some thought, A-Pang redeemed a bottle labeled Sleepytime Potion. It supposedly came from a magical world.
They freed Shengsheng from her ropes.
She immediately held her breath, then began pacing, throwing objects, and making as much noise as possible.
The commotion drew the guards’ attention.
They unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Before either could act, both collapsed unconscious.
Shengsheng hurried out, pulled the door shut, and locked them inside.
Night had fallen.
The room stood in a small rear courtyard. Shengsheng crept through the courtyard gate and heard bright feminine laughter coming from a brilliantly lit red building ahead.
To leave the compound, she would have to pass through the main entrance of the Crimson Delight House.
Her first impression of a brothel consisted of the scent of rouge, expanses of pale skin, and beautiful skirts fluttering like butterfly wings.
Women wore every imaginable style inside. Shengsheng’s veil did not attract particular notice.
She brushed aside a man who tried to embrace her and, after tremendous effort, reached the front door.
Then she discovered the problem.
Du Sanniang and several guards watched the exit. Shengsheng could not simply walk out.
Gritting her teeth, she hid beside an enormously broad man and attempted to slip past in his shadow.
The door was almost within reach.
Then a pair of arms abruptly drew her into an embrace.
The man was tall, and a faint scent of sandalwood clung to him.
Shengsheng Zhou swallowed the scream already rising in her throat and looked up in terror.
She saw a smooth, jade-like jaw and a handsome face touched by a faint smile.
*Weiqing Song? The dignified Crown Prince visits brothels?*
Weiqing fell silent.
Was that truly the part that shocked her?
After learning Shengsheng’s location, he had come personally. The moment he entered, he began hearing her tense but entertaining inner voice.
“May I ask the young lady’s name?” he said. “I found myself fond of you at first sight.”
Under Du Sanniang’s suspicious stare, Weiqing wrapped one arm around Shengsheng and carried her upstairs. He ordered a private room.
Shengsheng did not struggle. She buried her face firmly against his chest, terrified that the madam would recognize her.
She had changed clothes, and in her current dress she looked no different from the women who worked there.
Weiqing gave Du Sanniang no time for closer examination. He shut the door.
Shengsheng did not imagine that he recognized her.
This handsome wolf in human skin had plainly become lustful.
The wolf in question smiled elegantly.
Still holding Shengsheng, he swept aside a gauze curtain with one hand and sat on the bed.
“Why hasn’t the young lady answered me?”
He gently stroked her hair.
Pretending shyness, Shengsheng tucked herself more deeply against him and evaded his hand. She pitched her voice into exaggerated sweetness.
“This humble girl is called Xiaohong.”
*Xiaohong, Xiaohong–the reddest beauty in the Crimson Delight House!*
Weiqing fought down his laughter. His eyes curved before relaxing.
“An excellent name.”
The amusement in his voice made the compliment thoroughly unconvincing.
Shengsheng offered a strained little laugh.
*A-Pang, there’s some Sleepytime Potion left, right? Use it quickly. How can I escape if he doesn’t pass out?*
Sleepytime Potion.
The name was wonderfully direct. Weiqing understood its purpose immediately.
He hurriedly lifted her from his lap.
“Miss Xiaohong, I may admire you, but I would never force you to surrender yourself.”
“Why don’t you perform some talent for me instead? I will grant you one wish. What do you say?”
From somewhere, he produced a strand of bodhi beads patterned like qilin eyes and rolled them idly between his fingers.
Shengsheng considered, then feigned reluctance.
“Since my lord insists, shall this humble girl perform a magic trick?”
Interest entered Weiqing’s expression.
“What is magic?”
She smiled.
“A conjuring trick. But mine differs from those performed by street entertainers. It requires my lord’s cooperation.”
The word *conjuring* diminished his interest, but he still wanted to see what the little creature intended.
He nodded.
“Please lie flat, my lord.”
Shengsheng’s soft hand moved slowly over his chest, coaxing him back against the bed.
Weiqing arched a brow and gave her an ambiguous look.
Had she changed her mind and decided to offer herself?
She was a palace maid, after all. Perhaps her horizons truly were that limited.
Impatience entered his face. He opened his mouth, ready to throw the presumptuous maid off him.
Shengsheng smiled sweetly.
“Don’t blink, my lord.”
*Your darling Xiaohong is about to perform the Hypnotizing of the Blackhearted Scoundrel.*
A cloyingly sweet scent filled Weiqing’s nose.
He realized too late that she had trapped him.
Despite his alarm, he had already inhaled too much.
Heavy sleep dragged him under.