Young Madam kindly scooped a bowl of soup for me and presented it, saying, "This is bitter gourd soup made from freshly grown bitter gourd, so it's not very bitter. It also has wolfberries and a little honey added, which makes it sweet on the tongue and slightly astringent in the throat, very delicious."
Listening to her introduction, I took a shallow sip and indeed tasted the sweetness at the beginning, followed by the bitterness of the bitter gourd as I swallowed, leaving a sweet aftertaste in my mouth.
"Did Young Madam make this soup?" I put down the spoon and asked.
Young Madam smiled shyly and said, "I don't have such skills. It was made by the kitchen's nanny."
Looking at the Young Madam in front of me, whose mood was so different from the morning, it felt like she was a completely different person.
After finishing the bowl of soup, I asked Young Madam to remove the food. Actually, I didn't need to eat anything at all, but I couldn't refuse everything here.
Seeing that I ate so little, Young Madam asked with concern, "Is there anything uncomfortable with the young lady? Or is the food not to your liking?"
Looking at the worry in her eyes, I lied, "People who practice cultivation advocate abstaining from food, so they eat very little."
Young Madam nodded half-believingly. After all, she didn't understand the practice of cultivation.
After Young Madam left, the crazy young master on the bed woke up, still shouting, "Give me back my face!"
Because he had been tied up all the time, he couldn't move around, only struggling on the bed, and when he turned his head, he saw me observing him.
His eyes instantly turned red, and he spoke like a wild beast grinding its teeth, "Give it back to me...give it back to me..." and kept wriggling his body towards me.
Finally, with his continuous efforts, he fell off the bed, hit his forehead on the ground, and started bleeding.
I didn't move, still watching him bowing towards me like a worm. His forehead was broken in one place, and blood oozed out.
And what I had been waiting for finally happened.
The halo appeared in front of his face again, gradually condensing into a human face, just as the person's face was about to touch the crazy young master's face.
I acted quickly, grabbing at the person's face, but to my surprise, my hand went through the person's face, and the person's face fell unobstructed onto the crazy young master's face.
Looking at my empty hand, I thought, "It looks like things are not going to be easy!"
Then, I slapped the crazy young master unconscious with one hand and cast a spell to send him back to the bed.
After all, I couldn't waste my time dealing with his madness.
In the middle of the night, another face appeared. I reached out to grab it while it was still a blur, but I caught nothing.
The next day, I felt the need to change tactics. So, I asked the young madam who brought me food, "Can you tell me about what happened with your husband before he went mad?"
When the young madam heard my question, she froze, and the soup in her bowl spilled onto her hand. She put down the bowl and wiped her hand with a handkerchief, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, miss. I don't know much about what happened before my husband went mad."
I looked at her scalded hand and didn't press the issue. Instead, I said, "I have something to do and need to go out."
"Where are you going, Miss Qin? Is there anything I can help you with?" The young madam asked, sounding nervous when she heard I was going out.
"Don't worry, I won't run away," I smiled.
Later, the young madam escorted me out of the Qian Mansion. I walked along the paved road towards the center of the imperial city. Every tea house and wine shop in the streets and alleys was the fastest source of news, but the fastest place was undoubtedly the brothel.
After thinking for a while, it was almost impossible for the Mad Young Master of the Qian family, a wealthy and privileged young man, not to have visited the most famous brothels with a few like-minded friends.
"It seems like I have to pay a visit to the brothel," I thought to myself, changing into male attire.
"If I'm going to a brothel, it won't be an ordinary one. It must be one of the most famous ones," I thought to myself as I walked towards the most renowned street in the imperial city.
I stood at the intersection, looking at the arched entrance of the Hundred Flowers Gate. The golden plaque above was inscribed with the words "Hidden Spring," with the private seal of Emperor Xuanxiao.
Emperor Xuanxiao was an interesting and libertine emperor who had spent countless nights strolling along this flower street. He even personally named the street "Hidden Spring" (Yin Chun), not only because he believed that even the beautiful spring season was inferior to this street, but also because he felt that something that could make people's hearts flutter was hidden here.
Since then, this street has been known as the Yin Chun Street. It was declared and became even more prosperous, until today it has become the most famous street in the imperial city.
During the day, the street was sparsely populated, and the sons and daughters of the night were probably still asleep. Only a few girls without clients were soliciting the scarce customers.
I walked along, and the girls with heavy makeup and charming demeanor smiled generously, their enchanting eyes drawing me in, their seductive voices calling out, "Young master, young master..."
Although I was a female ghost, I could understand why those men liked to linger here, intoxicated and delirious.
I stopped a young master beside me and asked, "Excuse me, young master, can you tell me which are the most famous brothels on this street?"
The young master had a face that showed signs of excessive indulgence. After hearing my question, he patted my shoulder and smirked, "Little brother, you're not from around here, are you?"
I nodded in agreement.
He came closer and said, "Do you want me to take you to have some fun?"
I raised my eyebrows and thought he was trying to take advantage of me.
"Oh," I pretended to think for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Seeing that I agreed so readily, the man smiled even more warmly and reached out to put his arm around my shoulder. I dodged and avoided his advances. He felt a little embarrassed, but then he realized that he could take advantage of me and did not show any displeasure.
"Alright, little brother, let me take you to the most luxurious 'Spend a Thousand Gold' on this street," the man said excitedly, even his walking pace quickened.
"Let me tell you something, little brother. Do you know why it's called 'Spend a Thousand Gold'?" The man boasted about his knowledge in this area.
Seeing me shake my head, he became even more proud and said, "That's because if you want to spend a night alone with the top girl there, you have to pay a thousand gold."
"A thousand gold..." I thought, what kind of girl was worth that much for just one night, and it wasn't even for sleeping.
Thinking that I was scared away, the man said quickly, "But we're not going to see the top girls, so we don't need to spend that kind of money."