Ji Hongli's silver soon proved effective.
Not long after Bai Li was taken to a dark, damp side room, someone came and moved her and Qingdai into a spacious, well-lit chamber.
By the window sat a pot of freshly picked orchids. The bedding on the bed was soft and clean, even lightly scented with sandalwood.
What surprised her even more was that the fierce matron who had previously beaten and scolded her had been transferred away, replaced by a kindly-faced elderly woman.
The new matron spoke in gentle tones, even addressing her as "young miss."
Bai Li felt dazed, as if the days of humiliation she had endured were nothing but a nightmare.
Qingdai quietly inquired around, and when she returned, her eyes held a mischievous glint. "Miss, I heard it was a young master named Ji Hongli who specifically asked for you to be looked after."
"Ji Hongli..." Bai Li murmured the name, her heart skipping a beat for some reason.
She suddenly recalled the handsome gentleman she had locked eyes with beneath the corridor yesterday—those narrow phoenix eyes, that half-smiling expression, that moment of pausing to gaze at her.
"It's him..." she murmured, her cheeks involuntarily flushing pink.
Seeing this, Qingdai couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly. "It seems that Young Master Ji is indeed someone with a heart."
Bai Li didn't refute it. She only lowered her head and smoothed the creases on her sleeve, the corners of her lips curving slightly upward.
For the first time in a long while, a faint glimmer of hope for life had been rekindled in her heart.
...
That night.
Within Chang'an City, the Prime Minister's residence was brilliantly lit.
Xu Jingzong walked slowly through the covered corridor with his hands behind his back, humming a newly learned tune.
In court today, several clueless old officials had been demoted on his account. Their disciples and former subordinates had also switched allegiances, kneeling before him and begging for mercy.
Recalling those sycophantic faces, he couldn't help but sneer.
"Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west..." he murmured to himself, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. The wheel of fortune turned endlessly.
After the Empress ascended the throne, he, as one of the earliest ministers to pledge loyalty, had finally reached the highest ranks of power, his influence immense.
Those noble families who had once looked down on him now had to bow and scrape when they saw him.
Even the Censor who had once cursed him as a "sycophantic villain" now frequented his residence, always bringing generous gifts with each visit.
"Power truly is a fine thing." He stroked his beard and walked briskly toward the rear courtyard.
Xu Jingzong's most favored concubine lived in the west wing. She was a singing girl purchased from Jiangnan, with skin like congealed fat and eyes full of allure. Tonight, in a good mood, he had specially prepared a pot of Western Region tribute grape wine, intending to spend a pleasant evening with her.
When he reached the door, he noticed the room was unlit, pitch dark.
"This little minx, what game is she playing now?" He chuckled and pushed open the door.
The room was silent, only a faint fragrance of incense drifting through the air. By the weak moonlight, he saw the brocade quilt on the bed was raised, vaguely forming a human shape.
"She's indeed waiting for me." Xu Jingzong rubbed his hands together and impatiently pounced forward, grabbing hold of the "beauty" in the quilt, his hands roaming wildly.
However, the sensation from his fingertips made him freeze instantly—these shoulders, this waist... how were they so... solid?
He abruptly yanked back the quilt. By the moonlight streaming through the window, he finally saw the face of the person on the bed.
"Unfilial son?!" Xu Jingzong cried out in shock, hastily retreating two steps.
The person on the bed, bound hand and foot, was none other than his legitimate son—Xu Mingyuan.
...
Xu Mingyuan had a cloth strip stuffed in his mouth, his face ashen, cold sweat beading his forehead. Upon seeing his father, he immediately began struggling with muffled sounds.
Xu Jingzong frantically pulled the cloth from his mouth and went to untie the ropes binding him, his voice trembling. "Yuan'er! How did you end up here? Who tied you up?!"
The moment Xu Mingyuan could speak, his eyes widened in terror, staring fixedly behind Xu Jingzong. "Father... Father! B-behind you!"
Xu Jingzong went rigid, then slowly turned around.
...
The candlelight crackled to life with a snap.
In the corner of the room, seated on a yellow rosewood chair, was an extraordinarily handsome young man.
He wore a moon-white brocade robe, a white jade folding fan hanging at his waist, looking at the Xu father and son with a half-smile. In the candlelight, his features were like a painting, the corners of his lips slightly raised, carrying a few traces of carefree languor.
"Prime Minister Xu, my late-night visit is an intrusion." The man gave a light laugh, his voice clear as jade.
Xu Jingzong's pupils contracted sharply as he shouted sternly, "Who are you?! How dare you trespass into the Prime Minister's residence!"
This was naturally Ji Hongli in disguise. Ever since being identified as male by the Candle Dragon's Dream, she had become addicted to the guise.
At this moment, Ji Hongli waved her fan, her smile deepening. "My surname is Ji, given name Hongli."
Xu Jingzong's mind raced, but he couldn't recall anyone by that name in the imperial court.
He forced down his panic and blustered, "Whoever you are, get out immediately! Otherwise, with one command from me, you'll die without a burial place!"
Ji Hongli sighed and shook her head. "Prime Minister Xu, don't waste your efforts. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, no one outside will hear you."
Xu Jingzong didn't believe it. He rushed to the door and pounded on it. "Someone! There's an assassin! Come quickly!"
However, no matter how he called, silence remained outside, as if everyone in the Prime Minister's residence had vanished.
Ji Hongli rested her chin on her hand, watching him with amusement. "Well? Do you believe me now?"
Cold sweat broke out on Xu Jingzong's forehead. He finally realized something was wrong. Struggling to maintain his composure, he said in a low voice, "What exactly do you want?"
Ji Hongli rose and walked slowly toward him, looking down from above. "Prime Minister Xu, all these years—embezzlement, framing loyal officials, forming factions for personal gain... the evil deeds you've committed are beyond counting, aren't they?"
Xu Jingzong's face turned iron-gray. "Nonsense! I have been loyal to the state—how dare you slander me!"
Ji Hongli gave a light laugh, then suddenly snapped her fingers.
The candlelight in the room flared dramatically, and within the flames, images began to emerge—
Xu Jingzong accepting bribes, throwing innocent people into prison;
Slandering and framing others before the Empress, causing several old officials to die unjust deaths...
Xu Mingyuan collapsed on the ground, trembling all over. "Father... these, these are all true?"
Xu Jingzong's face was ashen, his lips trembling. "Sorcery... this is sorcery!"
Ji Hongli's smile faded, her gaze turning cold. "However, how you harm others actually has nothing to do with me. I only want one thing from you."
"What?" Xu Jingzong swallowed hard, his hand in his sleeve trembling uncontrollably.
"The Dream Immortal Tower."
The room suddenly fell deathly silent.
Xu Jingzong gaped, his expression shifting from terror to confusion, finally settling into a comically stupefied look.
He blinked, cautiously confirming. "Just... just that?"
"Yes." Ji Hongli idly twirled the jade fan in her hand. "Today I offered money to Boss Zhou to buy the Dream Immortal Tower. She said it required your approval."
She suddenly leaned forward, her tone carrying a hint of grievance. "So I had to come find you in the middle of the night."
Xu Jingzong's face instantly flushed crimson.
"That wretch!" he raged. "She's killed me!" Thinking of how he had nearly wet himself from fright earlier, all over a brothel, he wanted to flay Boss Zhou alive that very instant.
Suddenly, he caught sight of Ji Hongli's half-smiling expression and shuddered all over.
"Immortal Lord!" He dropped to his knees with a thud. "What Dream Immortal Tower? Isn't it your Dream Immortal Tower? Tomorrow I'll have someone deliver the deed!"
Ji Hongli nodded with satisfaction. "Good. In that case, I'll come to the Dream Immortal Tower tomorrow afternoon to receive it myself."
Xu Jingzong pounded his chest. "No problem! Absolutely no problem!"
A sudden draft swept through the room, making the candlelight flicker violently.
When Xu Jingzong shivered and looked up again, there was no one before him. Only the wide-open window lattice remained, beyond which a crescent moon hung cold in the sky.
He collapsed to the floor, the official robes on his back already soaked through with cold sweat.
"Father..." came his son's trembling voice from the corner.
Xu Jingzong turned to see his son still sprawled on the bed, a suspicious dark stain at his crotch. Recalling how he had groped wildly earlier, his stomach suddenly churned.
This eldest son...
He turned his head away in disgust. It seemed this one was a lost cause.
Straightening his clothes, Xu Jingzong strode toward the door, calculating in his mind—he would visit his newly taken concubine's quarters tonight.
It was time to raise another heir.
...
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