Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

"ah--"

Ying Hengzhi lost her footing and fell from the high wall.

Duan Linglong covered her mouth with her hand and took a few steps back with Xuan'er, her eyes full of laughter: "Oh dear, Concubine Ying, you mustn't shout too loudly, or we'll both be in trouble if we attract the patrolling guards."

"Duan Linglong, how dare you play me!" Ying Hengzhi got up from the ground and found that she had twisted her ankle, her face contorted in pain.

Duan Linglong sneered: "So what if I'm messing with you? I just don't like the look of you."

Although she had given up all expectations of Cang Mingze, what good was Ying Hengzhi anyway?

After she finished speaking, Xuan'er helped her to the carriage that was already parked not far away.

Ying Hengzhi glared fiercely at Duan Linglong's back, feeling a pang of regret for not bringing Cuiyu along.

She hadn't planned to bring Cuiyu along because she wanted to act alone and attract the Third Prince's attention better. Now, she could only limp forward.

Let's hire a carriage in a bit.

The biggest place for entertainment in the Northern Xuan Imperial City is the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

This Red Sleeve Pavilion is different from ordinary brothels. It includes all kinds of food, drink and entertainment. Girls can learn one or two skills here and make a living.

Moreover, the girls of Hongxiu Pavilion sell their art but not their bodies, and the money they earn is split 50/50 between them and Hongxiu Pavilion, based on their individual skills.

Aside from the agreed-upon profit sharing, Hongxiu Pavilion would never deduct any money from the girls' earnings.

Not only that, the girls live a very comfortable life here. They can rest when they are sick, and the Red Sleeve Pavilion will even call a doctor for them. They eat and drink on weekdays, and during festivals, they are given different allowances based on their usual performance. Although the allowances are different, everyone will receive one.

If one day they find another way to make a living, they can redeem themselves and change careers, and the Red Sleeve Pavilion will also give them a settlement fee.

However, most people are unwilling to leave Hongxiu Pavilion.

This Red Sleeve Pavilion not only has young ladies, but also some young gentlemen.

Historically, the young ladies and gentlemen of the Red Sleeve Pavilion have always been free to marry. Even the young ladies who have been redeemed and married out of the palace are mostly not looked down upon by their husbands.

Once upon a time, there was a girl from the Red Sleeve Pavilion who was disliked and criticized by her husband's family because she had not given birth to a son. She was beaten so badly that she could not get out of bed. When the owner of the Red Sleeve Pavilion found out, he led people over and beat up the abusive husband's family, and then took the girl back.

After this incident, the husband's family came to plead the next day, swearing that they would never dare to lay a hand on the girl again and that they would cherish the daughter she gave birth to. Only then did they send the girl back.

After that, her husband's family behaved themselves, and the girl finally held her head high in her husband's family. Now she has both a son and a daughter, and her life couldn't be more wonderful.

The Red Sleeve Pavilion is built on the banks of the moat and has three stories.

Looking around, the tallest, largest, and most magnificent building is the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

Hongxiu Pavilion was brightly lit every night, filled with laughter, cheers, storytelling, hawking, music, singing, and dancing—truly the most bustling and prosperous place in the imperial city.

The girls and boys here are highly skilled, the most famous being Xiangxiang's dance, Lanling's zither, Ruyan's pipa, and Wangqing's music.

In addition, there are Mr. Meng Hui's sword dance and calligraphy.

This Mr. Meng Hui is over forty years old this year. He entered the Red Sleeve Pavilion when he was just a few years old and has stayed ever since.

Hongxiu Pavilion did not mind his age; his talent was enough to earn him a place in the pavilion.

There's also Jinniang's embroidery skills with flying needles. Although she's already over thirty, her skill with flying needles is unmatched.

Despite the daily influx of customers, their performances continue to draw large numbers of patrons.

Hongxiu Pavilion encompasses everything.

The guests who come here can be summed up in one word: elegant!

A carriage slowly came to a stop by the moat. Xuan'er helped Duan Linglong down from the carriage, gave the driver a few copper coins, and the two walked towards the arched bridge in the distance.

"Xuan'er, has Shangguan Hong been here these past few days?" Duan Linglong looked around; there were people everywhere.

Xuan'er said, "Don't worry, Master. I overheard the servants sweeping in the front yard chatting and they said that recently several students from the Imperial Academy have been coming to the flower boat here every day to compete in writing essays and poems."

Even the Third Prince and several officials from the Ministry of Works were quite interested and went to watch, making it quite a spectacle.

Duan Linglong nodded, a resolute look appearing in her eyes. "Alright, Xuan'er, when Shangguan Hong and the others' flower boat appears, you should do as we discussed before."

Xuan'er nodded and said, "Okay."

But then she worried, "But mistress, you're pregnant. What if something happens to you..."

Duan Linglong sneered, "If anything happens to me, you only need to call the doctor to save my life. This child... he doesn't deserve it."

The "he" here does not refer to the child, but to Cang Mingze.

A hint of hatred surfaced in Duan Linglong's eyes. Cang Mingze had treated her so badly, and the Duan family had been destroyed because of him. He had even refused to let her see her father and her family one last time.

She was once completely in love with him; she was truly blind to his true feelings.

If only she hadn't considered breaking off the engagement with Shangguan Hong, hadn't listened to the Empress and her mother, and hadn't tried to use supernatural powers to scheme against him...

Is everything different now?

Wasn't Cang Mingze obsessed with this child being the eldest grandson of the emperor? He wanted to use this child to please His Majesty, but she refused to do as he wished!

A resolute glint also flashed in Xuan'er's eyes.

In her early years, she was a maid in the Duan family. She was bullied, but was saved by her master, who was only eight years old at the time.

Later, she was sent to the palace to serve the Empress and was groomed to be her confidante.

Some time ago, the Empress sent her to serve her mistress again.

Her master had saved her life, a debt of gratitude she always remembered.

She would never refuse whatever her master asked her to do.

Not far away, several flower boats drifted slowly over, the lead one being particularly magnificent and beautiful. Through the gently swaying gauze curtains, one could vaguely see a group of young noblemen from the imperial city sitting inside.

Some people are writing, some are reciting poems to the moon, some are painting, and some are drinking.

Several officials from the Ministry of Works were discussing something while looking at a blueprint.

Even the figure of Young Master Lanling appeared among them. He was slowly playing the zither in a corner, dressed in white like snow, like a fairy in a painting.

The melodious sound of the zither attracted many people to watch from the riverbank.

"They're here!" Duan Linglong's eyes were fixed on a figure on the leading pleasure boat.

It was him, Shangguan Hong.

Duan Linglong's eyes were fixed on her, filled with boundless passion and excitement.

She regretted it. She wanted to reconcile with Shangguan Hong, even if she couldn't be his wife, she would be willing to be his concubine.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is greatly favored by His Majesty, so a concubine from a prince's household should be acceptable, right?

Duan Linglong couldn't help but recall her childhood. Back then, she was also playing around and fell from the arched bridge into the moat. Shangguan Hong happened to be passing by and saw her. He jumped into the water and pulled her out, preventing her from being swept away by the river.

A wistful smile slowly crept onto Duan Linglong's lips. Today, she would recreate the scene from back then.

As the flower boat approached, Duan Linglong stepped forward and onto the bridge railing. Upon seeing this, Xuan'er immediately ran towards the side where the flower boat had passed.

"Help! My master is going to jump into the river! Help!"

The noise immediately caused a stir among the crowd.

"Oh no, someone is really going to jump into the river!"

"Why are you so desperate!"

"Quick, help them!"

The crowd gasped and screamed.

Ying Hengzhi limped out of Hongxiu Pavilion. She went in hoping to "bump into" the Third Prince, but she heard that the Third Prince was on a pleasure boat. Unexpectedly, when she came out, she found Duan Linglong standing on the arched bridge about to jump into the river.

She narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe that Duan Linglong really wanted to die. When she was climbing the wall and teasing her before, she didn't have any intention of dying at all.

What exactly does she want to do?