Chapter 91: Baihua Brothel

Chapter 91

Baihua Brothel

That night, after the lamp was extinguished, Song Qilin turned and pressed his wife beneath him. His large hand slipped into her robe, caressing her soft skin and full chest. Nie Shuang pushed against his chest, speaking in a breathless voice.

“Qilin...we have to wake up early tomorrow. Father and Mother...”

“Mm...don’t worry. I just want a little comfort. I won’t take long.”

Nie Shuang made a sound in her throat, not quite believing him. Every time he said it wouldn’t take long, she ended up losing sleep.

Normally, Song Qilin wasn’t overly indulgent in such matters, but with Shuang Shuang, he could never get enough. Just being near her made him crave her touch as if he were drunk with desire. Ever since he returned this time, he had been relentless every night, only letting her sleep near dawn.

Nie Shuang didn’t resist. Knowing he rarely had the chance to come home, she gave in and helped him remove his clothes. Her soft hands trailed over his firm muscles, feeling the taut skin twitch beneath her touch. She moaned sweetly as he touched her gently, igniting her own desires. Her beautiful body writhed in anticipation, her skin burning as though flames licked every inch of her. His hands and lips teased her, driving her wild with need.

“Aaah! Qilin! Mmm...”

She cried out as he entered her, his hard, hot length filling her completely. Her delicate fingers dug into his broad shoulders, her beautiful face buried in the pillow, eyebrows knitting from the fullness and pressure.

Song Qilin slowed down despite his own intense desire, gripping her round hips firmly as he thrust into her slowly. Hearing her sweet moans of pleasure, he reached out with one hand to cup her full breast, while the other stroked her waist before tangling in her soft hair, heightening her arousal. Overwhelmed with sensation, Nie Shuang arched her body, pressing herself against his firm frame. He smiled in satisfaction, pleased that she craved his touch as much as he desired hers.

After one round, Nie Shuang was already exhausted, feeling as if she might faint. Her husband, still young and strong, was a challenge to keep up with. She tried to push him away, but he leaned in, whispering in a deep, low voice against her fragrant neck.

“Shuang Shuang, I’m not satisfied yet. Can I have another round? I promise I won’t bother you again tonight.”

Who could resist the pleading, tender tone of the General? Nie Shuang certainly couldn’t. Before she knew it, she was nodding in agreement. A smile tugged at the corners of Song Qilin’s lips as he pulled her onto his lap. His still-hard manhood inside her stirred to life again. Nie Shuang felt the tight pressure inside her, her cheeks flushed red as her nails dug into his back. Her sweet, soft moans nearly drove him mad. Behind the curtains, their bodies moved in perfect rhythm, their breathless moans mixing together. By the time he finally found his release, Nie Shuang could barely keep her eyes open. She buried her face in the pillow, barely aware as he gently wiped her clean before she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, as everyone was having breakfast, the Hou and Elder Furen visited early to see their grandchildren. After briefly greeting everyone, they went straight to the children’s room. Nie Ran and Xiao Yi Niang, knowing that the children were their out-of-marriage grandchildren and that the Hou and Elder Furen outranked them, didn’t try to interfere. They waited until the Hou and Xu Shi were tired before playing with the children. As for the parents, Song Qilin and Nie Shuang, they barely had any opportunity to interact with their own children throughout the day, merely watching from afar as the grandparents took turns holding the little ones.

In the afternoon, Nie Shuang was reviewing the accounts while the Generalwas reading a war strategy book next to her, yawning. She nudged him.

"If you’re tired, just go take a nap."

"Mm, that’s a good idea,"

He responded easily, but instead of leaving the room, he laid his head on her lap.

"Ah! Qilin! No, someone might see us!"

Nie Shuang’s face turned red as he playfully buried his face in her stomach, his hands wandering. Only after she smacked his arm did he stop. Nie Shuang returned to her accounts while he casually raised his book to read, lying comfortably. The atmosphere was sweet and harmonious. A slight smile appeared on both their faces. Even though they were married with three children, they rarely had time alone together, making these moments precious.

After a while, Nie Shuang shifted, feeling stiff. Song Qilin quickly sat up, took her legs, and stretched them out to massage her affectionately. Just then, A’Yi rushed in with a panicked expression.

"General! Young Furen! I just went out to buy something and heard that Baihua Brothel burned down last night. No one survived."

"What!? Baihua Brothel?"

Nie Shuang exclaimed in shock, immediately suspecting the Mu family’s involvement. She hadn’t expected them to be this ruthless. Song Qilin sat next to her, frowning but saying nothing.

"Yes, it seems that the madam of the brothel had someone put up a sign yesterday saying it would be closed for the day. The young masters looking for entertainment were surprised, wondering why someone as greedy as the madam would turn down customers. They stood outside knocking on the door for a long time, but no one answered, so they left. Later that night, the fire broke out. It seems no one inside Baihua Brothel survived,"

A’Yi reported, her voice trembling. Having followed them from the capital, and serving closely, she knew a bit about the situation. Seeing the young girl so frightened, Nie Shuang gently reassured her,

"Don’t be scared. With the General here, they won’t be able to do anything to us."

Upon hearing this, Song Qilin was quite pleased. His Shuang Shuang was so capable, and it was rare for her to see him as a source of protection. Without caring about the maids in the room, he wrapped his arms around her. Nie Shuang nestled her face against his chest as she spoke softly to him.

"The Mu family doesn’t intend to lose such an important piece like Young Miss Mu. For them to act so ruthlessly, they clearly plan to keep this incident a secret."

"Mm, they likely did this partly to intimidate you, hoping you’d see that if you reveal anything about Young Miss Mu, your fate will be the same as Baihua Brothel."

"They are so heartless, it makes me think even more that Young Miss Mu shouldn’t let herself be used as a tool. If anything were to go wrong, she would be discarded like a worthless pawn."

Nie Shuang sent a message to Kang Wang’s palace to inform them of what had happened. Naturally, Kang Wang had already heard the news. He quickly summoned Mu Rongying to meet with him.

The young woman bowed gracefully before Kang Wang, already guessing why he had summoned her, thought he hadn’t yet said anything. There were still two days before the grand opening of Xiangyun Tea House’s new product, so calling her before the scheduled meeting meant something urgent had occurred. What else could it be other than the arrival of people from the Mu family?!

Kang Wang regarded her with a complex expression, speaking to her in his usual cold tone.

"Last night, there was a fire at Baihua Brothel. No one survived."

Mu Rongying was stunned. Although Baihua Brothel was not a reputable place, there were still innocent lives within it. Were all the women forced to endure their fates now sacrificed because of the wickedness of the madam and her henchmen? The Mu family had truly gone too far...

"W...Who did it? Have they found out?"

Mu Rongying asked, though they both already knew the answer.

"There were no traces left by the culprits. Almost a hundred people from Baihua Brothel were gathered in the hall and brutally slaughtered before the fire was set to destroy the evidence. Even if we had clues, it would be left as an unsolved mystery."

Kang Wang’s voice was icy. Mu Rongying tried to hold back her tears. He was likely frustrated that such a large-scale incident had occurred in his jurisdiction—not only was it a significant crime with so many deaths, but Baihua Brothel was one of the key establishments in Huangjing, financially tied to the Pei family. Rui Wang would surely be displeased and would send someone to investigate, possibly dragging Kang Wang into the matter as well.

"I deeply apologize. This is all my fault,"

Mu Rongying said as she knelt. Kang Wang sighed and gestured for her to stand.

"The Mu family has likely sent someone to retrieve you already. Do you still intend to go through with the original plan? If you claim you’ve been tainted, they may not believe you. They might search the whole land to find the person responsible and silence him."

Mu Rongying furrowed her brow in distress.

"I do not wish to enter the palace. Is there any other option? Even if the Mu family pressures me, I will insist that I belong to a powerful figure in Huangjing without revealing who it is. Everyone in Baihua Brothel is dead, and no one else in the city knows what I have gone through here. The Mu family would prefer to keep this matter secret, fearing damage to their reputation. Who could they possibly investigate?"

The corners of Kang Wang’s lips lifted slightly. This young miss was quite stubborn and clever. It seemed the Mu family wouldn’t easily control her.

"Fine then, I’ll lend you my name. That way, the Mu family won’t bother you anymore."

Mu Rongying’s eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly refused.

"I wouldn’t dare, Your Highness!"

She had already troubled him enough and couldn’t possibly cause him more trouble.

Kang Wang frowned, feeling a bit displeased that she rejected his offer without a second thought.

He had just figured out that even if the Mu family believed that she was now his, what could they do? Would Mu Guifei dare declare war against his mother, Xian Fei? She was already struggling to contend with the Empress alone, let alone provoking another powerful figure. Moreover, he was certain that the person sent by the Mu family wouldn’t reveal the situation publicly, as it would disrupt the delicate balance of power in the royal court. It made sense why Nie Shuang had agreed to let Young Miss Mu follow him to the palace so easily. Even Song Qilin likely understood this as well.

"Do as I say. If you don’t, the people the Mu family send won’t believe your story. They won’t just take you back—they might bring you to the palace for Gugu[1] to investigate. By then, you won’t have another chance to escape. Worse yet, if you insist on hiding the truth, they might pressure the Young Furen to extract the truth, causing her even more trouble."

Kang Wang said, feeling surprised that he was involved in this more than necessary. Mu Rongying didn’t argue further after hearing this. It turned out that he was concerned for the Young Furen.

"And...will you face scrutiny from Rui Wang? After all, this happened with Baihua Brothel in your territory..."

"Rui Wang won’t suspect me. If I wanted to undermine him, I wouldn’t need to do it in my own land. Now, prepare yourself. I will send a message to Nie Shuang. If the Mu family comes looking for you, she will send them to the palace. When that happens, just admit the story. Isn’t this what you wanted anyway, to remain in Huangjing?"

After finishing, Kang Wang elegantly sipped his tea. Mu Rongying was deeply grateful and stood up to bow in full form."I, Mu Rongying, will forever remember the kindness of Your Highness and Young Furen."

[1] Senior maids were called 姑姑 (gūgu) (Usage: Miss but Literally meaning Aunt) to denote their higher status. E.g. The Empress’ chief maid.