Chapter 48

There was only one word, but when Su Mi heard it, her face turned red as if blood was about to drip.

She sat there in a daze, feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment. After a while, when she looked up, her eyes were filled with surprise.

“Lord …”

Qin Yan looked at Su Mi’s bright eyes and had a narrow smile on his face. “Come with me. Is there something so exciting?”

Su Mi nodded repeatedly, seemingly afraid that Qin Yan would change his mind on a whim.

When the two of them reached the gate of the courtyard, Ling An was already waiting by the carriage. Su Mi glanced at him, knowing that he had something to discuss with Qin Yan, so she went into the carriage on her own.

“Master.”

As soon as Qin Yan saw Ling An, the smile on his face faded slightly, only maintaining it towards Su Mi.

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“Mbl nyaakytl qasx Kkysgbsw—byp kv yaakhle yv vbl pswvblad nswavuyae?” Ckd Zyd rwv yoyu bkp csdl qyd yde zssjle yv Nkdt Gd yp bl prsjl nyzxzu.

Nkdt Gd alrzkle kd y zso hsknl, “Slrsavkdt vs vbl xypvla, Wldt Jys byp yaaydtle qsa vbl nyaakytl vs ts yaswde vbl ldvkal nyrkvyz qsa y qlo zyrp. El byhl plld lhlauvbkdt ol dllele vs pll, yde kv kp dso ryajle kd vbl pswvblad nswavuyae.”

…

Mbl zyhkpbzu elnsayvle pkdtzl-bsapl nyaakytl xshle pvlyekzu, okvb y casdgl kdnldpl cwadla rzynle sd vbl asplosse vyczl dlmv vs Ckd Zyd’p fyel csdl qyd vbyv bl bye clld bszekdt lyazkla.

Fw Yk pyv sd vbl srrspkvl pkel sq Ckd Zyd. Tl oyp ealpple ekqqlaldvzu vseyu. Uswze kv cl clnywpl vblu olal tskdt psxloblal lzpl?

Fbl obkprlale, “Nsae, oblal yal ol tskdt? Tso xydu eyup okzz vbl nyaakytl vayhlz?”

Rd qynv, pbl oyp fwpv ypjkdt nypwyzzu. Fbl oyp byrru yp zsdt yp pbl nswze ts okvb Ckd Zyd. Rv eked’v xyvvla oblal vblu olal tskdt. Tsolhla, kd bla xsxldv sq lmnkvlxldv lyazkla, okvb Ubwd Ylk dsv yaswde yde ds sdl vs alxkde bla, pbl qsatsv vs rynj ydu nzsvblp. Rq vbl fswadlu oyp vss zsdt, pbl oswze byhl vs cwu y qlo kvlxp.

Ckd Zyd rwv esod vbl esppkla bydele vs bkx cu Nkdt Gd yde tzydnle yv Fw Yk, pxkzkdt nypwyzzu. “Eblal es usw vbkdj ol yal tskdt?”

Su Mi pondered for a moment. Feng Bao only mentioned that they would be away for more than a month, so it must be far away. Qinzhou and Quanzhou had already been visited by the Lord. But with thirteen provinces in the Ming Yin Dynasty, she couldn’t guess. She could only randomly mention a distant place.

“Yongzhou?”

Qin Yan just smiled and remained silent, lowering his head to read the documents.

Since Qin Yan didn’t say anything, Su Mi didn’t continue to ask. After all, it wasn’t important to her. However, as dusk approached and the carriage stopped in the southern part of the capital, she was somewhat surprised.

If the Lord Supervisor didn’t need to leave the city, why didn’t they stay directly at the Lord’s mansion?

Su Mi pulled back the curtain and saw that Feng Bao was already standing at the gate of the southern mansion. He came over with a smile and held out his hands. As soon as he saw Su Mi poking her head out, he immediately went to assist her.

Feng Bao had only been sent to the southern courtyard last night. It was only then that he received the clothes prepared by Qin Yan for Su Mi from the Brocade Attire Workshop. He realized that the master had already planned to bring his wife along, and he had worried for no reason.

“Madam.”

“Yes, Feng Bao.” Su Mi turned to look at Qin Yan, who was still inside the carriage. “The Lord said I should go in and change into another outfit…”

Feng Bao had a smile on his face as he lowered his head and extended his arm. “Madam, it’s already prepared. Please come with me.”

The furnishings in the southern mansion were as simple as before, but Su Mi’s thoughts were not on the surrounding decorations. It was already dusk, and soon it would be night.

Qin Yan asked her to change clothes, but it was already late in the evening. Where could they still go?

“Feng Bao, do you know where the Lord is going later?”

As Feng Bao led the way, he smiled and said, “Madam, we servants have no idea. We only know it’s the southern mansion. I only arrived here last night.”

“But I guess it won’t be far. The master ordered a sedan chair for two people to carry, so it should be nearby.”

While they were talking, Feng Bao had already led Su Mi to the inner room. “Madam, I will wait for you outside.”

“Um.”

Su Mi entered the inner room and looked around. It was not much different from the chief’s mansion, with a six-pillar lacquered bed and a small redwood table next to it, on which a brocade cloth envelope was placed.

Su Mi opened the button, revealing a silk satin robe inside. At first glance, it seemed similar in style to Qin Yan’s, but the color was slightly lighter—not as deep purple as his, but a light blue.

The button was exquisitely crafted, with vivid green and flowing red, and the pattern seemed to be the same as the one Qin Yan wore.

Did Feng Bao give her Qin Yan’s clothes by mistake? But looking at the collar, it seemed to be smaller… Could it be that the Lord wanted her to dress as a man to deceive others?

Qin Yan was still waiting outside, and Su Mi didn’t have time to think too much. She unfolded the satin robe and changed into it in no time.

Since no one had measured her before, Su Mi thought it might not fit well, but surprisingly, it fit quite well.

She walked to the dressing table, removed the hairpin, and let her silky black hair cascade down her shoulders like a waterfall, smooth and shiny, without a single fold from the hair bun.

Su Mi gathered her hair into a single strand and tied it into a bun with a silk ribbon from the dressing case, revealing a smooth forehead. The originally charming girl instantly turned into a beautiful young man.

The only flaw was probably the bulging mass on Su Mi’s chest; although the robe was not tight, it was still significantly more noticeable compared to an ordinary man.

Su Mi rummaged through the wooden cabinet for a while but couldn’t find any cloth bands to bind her chest.

“Madam?” Feng Bao hurriedly approached with a small maid who came to report and whispered by the door, “They said the master has already changed to a sedan chair at the front gate.”

“Okay, I’ll come out.” Su Mi searched for a while but couldn’t find it, so she had to give up.

…

At the gate of the southern mansion, the chief’s carriage had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a red double-chair sedan covered with reed matting. The side windows were separated by wooden slats, making it impossible to see inside.

When Su Mi opened the sedan door, Qin Yan was sitting inside, leaning his elbow on the wooden slats.

Hearing the slight rustling sound, Qin Yan raised his eyes and saw Su Mi leaning in.

Her delicate little face was as exquisite as porcelain, without any powder, and naturally radiant like a light cloud.

Her black hair was tied up high, and she had changed into the male attire he had prepared. Although the clothes were not tight, the full chest that would be revealed with any slight movement and the slender waist that could be easily encircled made it impossible for her to conceal her female identity.

Qin Yan asked her to dress in men’s clothing not to hide her femininity but because there would be a crowd where they were going and he didn’t want anyone to look at Su Mi’s figure. Now, it couldn’t be clearly seen, but he still felt uneasy.

After all, these faintly visible curves seemed even more enticing.

Su Mi sat on Qin Yan’s right side. The sedan was narrower than the carriage, so as long as Su Mi slightly turned her head, she could see Qin Yan’s handsome face up close, and he seemed to have been looking at her since she entered the sedan.

Su Mi guessed Qin Yan’s thoughts and felt a bit embarrassed. “Lord… do I not look like a man?”

“Um.” Qin Yan was also somewhat unhappy.

Seeing Qin Yan’s displeased expression, Su Mi felt a bit uneasy. It must be that the lord’s attire was for a secret visit, just like in a play, and she was undoubtedly dragging him down by dressing like this.

In a low voice, she said, “Lord, I looked for a chest binder but couldn’t find one.”

Su Mi’s hands began to twist the hems of her clothes. She didn’t realize it, but whenever she got nervous, she would make such movements.

“Lord, maybe I should stay in the southern mansion.”

“Why? Are you tired today?”

Su Mi shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ll hinder your important matters like this…”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yan came back to his senses and looked at Su Mi. His presence approached, and he slowly smoothed out the fabric she was gripping in her hand. “With me here, what are you afraid of?”

“And if I go there alone, when you find out later, you might cry about it for a while.”

Su Mi felt a bit embarrassed by his words. She had only cried once when Qin Yan returned from Quanzhou last year. Why did he still remember?

But it also piqued her curiosity. “Lord, where is it?”

Qin Yan chuckled, and his hand followed the fabric upwards. His slender index finger seemingly grazed the curves of her chest, and he fastened the loosened button on Su Mi’s collar.

“The largest brothel in the capital city.”