Chapter 42

"Is this guy making a move on me? Who is he referring to? Could it be Gongsun Furan? If he likes this maid Lianlian, he could just marry her directly. He’s not like Hu Changqing, who is afraid of his wife. Why would he need to find an opportunity to make a move?" Yun Mo was really at a loss!

"There’s also the fact that Master Gongsun seems to have some interest in you. But the mistress is very jealous, so you must be extra careful these days to avoid making any mistakes, or she might use it as an excuse to punish you!"

"Thank you, sister. I understand. I don’t dare to dream of such a fortune as flying up to become a phoenix. The mistress is just being paranoid!" Yun Mo replied casually.

In his mind, he was analyzing rapidly. "Hmm, something’s going on, something big!" Yun Mo chuckled to himself. "The more dirty business, the better. I can take advantage of the chaos!"

He followed behind Bi Xin, only stepping where she stepped, and gradually he noticed a pattern. The maid always stepped on tiles with floral patterns, which were simple but elegant, featuring the curved edges of peony petals. The other two types of tiles had more luxurious patterns of flying birds and beasts.

"Wow, this is clearly a mechanism. What a grand design! But if the maids step on the wrong tiles, the consequences could be dire!"

However, it didn’t take long for him to figure it out. Most of the paths were made of the floral-patterned tiles, with the three types of tiles only appearing in specific areas.

"So that’s it. I thought there couldn’t be danger at every step. It seems I just need to be cautious of the areas with the three types of tiles!"

He looked around and saw that the three types of tiles were used in various places between pavilions, buildings, and gardens. The patrolling guards generally avoided stepping on them, and if they had to, they were extremely careful to step only on the floral-patterned tiles.

Yun Mo understood the layout. He was secretly amazed by the defense of the Gongsun residence: "How many gold coins must this have cost? What a wasteful family!" he cursed inwardly.

Before long, a red-walled area came into view, and a three-story, exquisitely designed building appeared. Yun Mo knew this was the third concubine’s quarters!

This was an extremely luxurious and extravagant courtyard, covering over a thousand square meters. Behind the building was a private garden. Opening the vermilion gate, a luxurious path lined with neatly trimmed lawns on both sides led to the building. Every ten steps, there was a porcelain vase filled with seasonal flowers like the pink-white butterfly-loving blossoms, the purple-red gaoling flowers, and the dark green xieyanggui, which adorned the courtyard in a rainbow of colors. Due to the heavy rain, special rainproof canopies had been set up to protect the flowers from being destroyed.

At the end of the path, in the center of the courtyard, stood the three-story, purple-red building. In the Purple Vine Empire, purple was a color of respect, and only those of a certain status could use pure purple. However, the empire did not object to shades like purple-red, which were used by those of some status, though commoners were not allowed to use them.

On the first floor, at the back, were the living quarters for Lianlian, Bi Xin, and other servants, as well as the kitchen and storage rooms.

Upon entering the main door, one was greeted by a lavishly decorated hall, filled with rare and precious objects.

Up the peachwood staircase on the left was the second floor, which had over ten suites, each spacious and comfortably furnished, reserved for relatives visiting the third concubine. The top floor was the private space of the third concubine.

The bathroom, bedroom, study, and dressing room were all on this floor. Only the closest maids were allowed in; other servants and cooks were strictly forbidden, or they would face severe punishment, even death by family law.

"Such a beautiful place!" Yun Mo, with his background in architecture, quickly assessed the structure and purpose of the building.

Since he was unfamiliar with the details of the Gongsun residence, he had to follow Bi Xin to get inside and find someone familiar with the household, especially someone who knew Gongsun’s routine, to gather the information he needed. In Yun Mo’s view, the best person for this was Gongsun’s bedmate. "I hope you won’t disappoint me," he thought.

"Lianlian Sister, Bi Xin Sister, you’re back from bathing!" A few maids, who were of lower status and responsible for cleaning the first floor, greeted them enthusiastically.

"Hey!" Yun Mo responded, "Has the mistress come down yet?" he asked casually.

"Not yet. We can’t go up, and we don’t know if she’s awake. She went to bed very late last night, hehe, who can blame her when the master dotes on her! She always gets to sleep in!" one of the maids winked at Lianlian.

"Smooth talker!" Yun Mo laughed and scolded.

"Alright, everyone, get back to work. Lianlian Sister, put this package in the storage room," Bi Xin said, pointing to a small door on the left.

"Sure thing. Since the mistress isn’t up, I’ll put the things away and take a nap. I’ll find you later!" Yun Mo replied.

"Sounds good!" Bi Xin said, turning towards her room.

Yun Mo stretched lazily and said, "I’ll go put the things away first. Everyone, get back to work!"

"Lianlian Sister, take your time!" the maids replied.

Yun Mo walked to the small door on the left, pushed it open, and disappeared behind it with a slight sway of his waist.

Turning and closing the door, Yun Mo’s expression changed. The laziness vanished, and he looked around. This was a corridor with a few dim lighting beads on the walls. The carpet on the floor was old, and the small rooms on both sides were used for storing various items, clearly for the convenience of the servants and maids.

Yun Mo didn’t care about their use. He quickly moved to a window. His target was the third concubine. Capturing her and getting the information about the Gongsun residence was the most urgent task. He didn’t have much time; Gongsun would likely return in a few hours, and he couldn’t afford to delay.

Yun Mo rapidly restored his appearance and changed into a black outfit for easy movement. He opened the window and, with a grappling hook in hand, used the thunder to mask the sound. He smoothly attached the hook to the roof of the third floor. He estimated the position of the bedroom and aimed the hook at the window, which was about five or six meters away.

Without hesitation, Yun Mo gripped the rope and moved up the wall, parallel to the ground, reaching the roof in an instant. He hung upside down, pierced the window paper, and peered inside.

Even after witnessing the scene of the maids bathing, Yun Mo was almost overwhelmed by the sight in the bedroom.

"Damn!" he cursed, thinking, "What’s wrong with me today? Always seeing these scenes. Don’t you know that such stimulation can be dangerous, you two dogs!"

A beautiful woman with lustrous silver-white hair, large and perky breasts, a round and plump buttocks, and silver-white eyes was being ravaged by a naked, muscular, purple-haired man on a pink-white bed, just a few meters from the window.

The sound of their rapid, intense movements was clear to Yun Mo’s ears, making his breathing heavier.

The man, with a lecherous and evil smile, was young, around 25 or 26, and his youthful vigor was evident. His strong aura indicated he was at least a Level 6 Tianyou cultivator. Yun Mo quickly suppressed his breath, feeling lucky that the couple was in a trance, or the slight sound of the grappling hook might have alerted the man, causing trouble.

The woman’s hair and eyes were unusual, resembling those of the Helian tribe in the northern border of the empire, where men had golden hair and women had silver hair, with matching eye colors. The Helian tribe was known for producing beautiful men and women, and Yun Mo had heard about them while in the city.

"Gongsun has some good fortune, but it’s a pity he’s wearing such a green hat!" Yun Mo chuckled, understanding what Bi Xin had meant about the third concubine’s infidelity.

Yun Mo watched the passionate performance with great interest, momentarily forgetting his mission, showing his fascination with such scenes.

"Darling, you’re so good. Is it comfortable? Do you like it?" The man, while flipping the woman over and instructing her to lower her waist and raise her buttocks, asked in a satisfied tone.

"Ah...!" The woman, buried in the bedding, moaned and called out, "Brother, you’re so amazing, faster!" Her waist twisted in response, turning the room into a paradise of pleasure.

"Damn!" Yun Mo cursed, swallowing a few times. The woman’s position revealed her most alluring parts to him, and he could see everything clearly.

"This position is intense!" Yun Mo thought. "Even better than some island country movies!" Just as he was getting into it, the conversation between the couple caught his attention.

"Mei'er!" After a bout of intense effort, the man gently held the woman’s white body and caressed her, asking, "By the way, how old is your little maid Lianlian?"

"Huff, huff!" The woman’s chest heaved as she recovered, then she reached back and tapped the man’s forehead, giggling, "You, my dear, always look at Lianlian with those eyes. Finally, you’ve shown your true colors. What, are you thinking of eating what’s in the bowl while looking at what’s in the pot?"