Chapter 1: First Encounter at the Banquet
After a few glasses of sake, Song Lingyi felt dizzy.
It was as if I was immersed in the joy of winning the national top spot in liberal arts and being admitted to my ideal prestigious university, and the next moment I was brought back to reality by the stringed and orchestral music at the banquet.

Song Lingyi lowered her eyes and looked at the cup in her hand, sighing: I have such a poor alcohol tolerance.
After only three cups, I can't tell the difference between my past life and my present life

Suddenly, a jade hand reached out from the side, gently covered Song Lingyi's wrist, and whispered a reminder: "Fifth sister, don't drink too much."

Song Lingyi raised her eyes sleepily. The beautiful and dignified girl next to her was the fourth daughter of the Song family - Song Lingwan, and also the original body's biological sister.

Today was the birthday of the old lady of the Shangshu Mansion. The hall where the two of them were was a banquet for unmarried women. All the ladies at the banquet were famous ladies in Chang'an City. If they drank too much and got drunk and lost their sense of propriety, they would be scolded and taught a lesson by Madam Song when they returned.

The pressure on the wrist disappears
Listening attentively to the ladies at the banquet discussing their newly bought silks and jewelry, Song Lingyi suddenly felt that this banquet was boring.

Get up and go out of the hall to get some fresh air
Compared to the dull and boring feast for the women, the feast for the men opposite was more lively. The Shangshu spent a lot of money to invite the singing girls and dancing girls from the Suochun Tower to entertain them, and they sang and danced happily.

Song Lingyi strolled along the corridor until she had completely forgotten the annoying noise behind her.

The garden is quiet and the night is cool

Song Lingyi dived into the bushes, took out a pot of wine that she had secretly brought with her from her wide sleeves, and blew hard into the small mouth of the pot.

People say drinking to forget sorrow only makes you more sorrowful, but she believes that getting drunk is the best way to relieve sorrow.

The bottle of wine was only half finished when there was a sudden rustling sound on the dark path outside the flowers, as well as ambiguous flirting between a man and a woman, which was getting closer and closer, and was only separated from her by a row of bushes.

The woman said coquettishly: No, I hate you, you are so bad, you said you would come but you won’t come…

Tut tut

Song Lingyi sat with her back to the ground, her cheeks slightly red. As a modern girl who had received gender education, she had seen pigs run even if she had never eaten pork. It was self-evident what these two idiots were doing.

Listening to the noise behind her, she was getting anxious for the woman. Was she coming or not? The pushing and shoving, the hesitating, really made her want to wait.

Swah——

There was the sound of cloth rubbing against branches, and a purple ribbon was hung on the wine jug, which also exuded the intoxicating fragrance of a woman.
……

The man's voice was low and hoarse, soaked in desire: "It's only been half a month since we last met, why are you so hungry, Madam? Can't Minister Lin satisfy you?"

"The old ghost goes to the room of his new concubine all day long, how can he remember me?" the woman said in a thin voice, sounding both coquettish and resentful.

Song Lingyi, who secretly hung the straps on a tree branch so that the two idiots could find them when they were done, was not surprised by the big news. Instead, she stroked her chin and analyzed the situation calmly.

Minister Lin is the "old dead ghost"
Today is his mother's 80th birthday. Minister Lin is at least 60-something. This woman sounds very young, so she is probably only in her 20s. She must be his concubine.
You are a beautiful lady, but you are so sentimental at an age when you are unable to fulfill your wish.

The man panted slightly, and there was a danger in his words: "Oh?"

"Then wouldn't it be difficult for Madam to do what I asked you to do?"

For some reason, Song Lingyi always felt that the man's voice had a sexiness that even professional voice actors could not achieve. Ordinary people could not resist it at all, and even her heart would melt when she heard it.

"How could that be? How could I not take Lu Lang's affairs to heart? The key is right here..."

The woman spoke very softly, and a cool breeze blew past, causing Song Lingyi to shiver and not hear the second half of her sentence clearly.

But it doesn't matter, it has nothing to do with her anyway
Another sip of wine
"Who's over there!"

The servant who came from nowhere interrupted tactlessly. The two idiots behind him were about to tidy up their clothes and leave quickly before they even started.

After a while, Song Lingyi patted the weeds stuck to her skirt, stood up, and drank
A very light sneer came from behind
Song Lingyi felt as if a thorn was thorned in her back. A chill ran from her tailbone to her head. She slowly turned around and looked back.
The man was leaning against a tree trunk. In the moonlight, half of his face was hidden in the darkness, and only his tall and strong figure could be made out.

Lu Jing, who had gone and returned, stared coldly with his arms folded at the girl who had been eavesdropping for a long time.

She looked petite, perhaps just coming of age. She was wearing a cute pink skirt. Her fair and delicate face had a slightly sluggish expression. Her temperament was as cool and clear as a mountain stream, like a clever fox.

The Daliang Dynasty had strict discipline for women, let alone the noble ladies in Chang'an City, who grew up in a strict set of rules and regulations and were not allowed to indulge themselves. Unexpectedly, he would meet someone special tonight.

"Whose family are you from?" Song Lingyi's drowsy mind suddenly woke up.

This voice...isn't that the perverted guy from before!
The man walked out of the shadows. He was holding a folding fan, wearing a flower-wrapped headdress, and wearing an embroidered dress. He was dressed in a gorgeous manner and had an unparalleled handsome appearance. Song Lingyi couldn't help but sigh: No wonder he could seduce the concubine of the Shangshu Mansion to lose her sense of proportion.

Tonight, the Shangshu Mansion has invited singers and dancers from Suochunlou, and I believe this person is among them. Suochunlou is truly the most famous brothel in Chang'an, and its quality is indeed high.

"It is said that the ladies from famous families in Chang'an are dignified and self-respecting. Miss, you just listened to the conversation for so long, aren't you embarrassed?" Lu Jing raised his eyebrows.

Perhaps drunk, Song Lingyi's beautiful eyes slightly curved, and she said confidently, "You are all not ashamed, so why should I be ashamed? Besides, this is the Shangshu Mansion, I only need to yell and someone will come, don't even think about doing anything bad to me."

It's easy to kill a little fox who doesn't know her place.

Lu Jing smiled indifferently and pointed at the wine bottle in her hand with his chin: "You are young, but you are still a heavy drinker."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Song Lingyi handed over the wine pot, "There's still half a pot left, would you like to drink?"

Lu Jing was stunned, and the murderous intent in his eyes disappeared instantly.

Take the wine jug and drink it all
“Good wine”

Song Lingyi emptied the wine pot until there was not a drop left. She said in a surprised tone: "How can the wine from the Shangshu Mansion be bad?" The Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel is a lucrative position. Just looking at the landscaping of his courtyard, it is worth a fortune.

"Why don't you stay here for the banquet and just drink?" Lu Jing asked.

"The banquet was boring, and my sister didn't allow me to drink too much, so I had to hide here. Who knew I would meet you here...ah." If no one interrupted them, I'm afraid they would have been so drunk that they didn't know what was going on.

Lu Jing sneered: "Your sister is right. Most of the dignitaries in Chang'an City are present at the birthday banquet today. If you get drunk and lose your composure, you will have a bad reputation and it will be difficult to find a good marriage."

"That's them. I'm different." Song Lingyi muttered softly.

She looked up at the moon, the cold wind blew away the smell of alcohol, and she thought with sleepy eyes: I will not be like them and pin my life's happiness on an illusory marriage.

But this sentence was too treasonous to be true according to the feudal ideology of Daliang, so she did not dare to say it out loud.

"You're still talking about me. You dare to touch the Shangshu's woman. Aren't you afraid of getting a bad reputation and having trouble making it in Chang'an City in the future?"

A few cuckoo calls echoed in the empty garden
Lu Jing's eyes focused on a dark spot, and he responded slowly, "Whether I can survive in Chang'an City is not something he can decide."

Song Lingyi held the wine pot, stared at Lu Jing sideways, and said with a smile: "Looking at your good looks and well-dressed, I'm sure a large number of rich women will rush to you if you just wave your hand. Of course you can make it."

"Little girl, you are so blunt." Despite saying this, Lu Jing was delighted by Song Lingyi.

The atmosphere finally relaxed
After chatting for a while, Song Lingyi waved goodbye to Lu Jing. If she didn't go back, her fourth sister would definitely come to look for her.

The sudden encounter between strangers, after the intersection, they returned to their original positions. Chang'an City is a place where every inch of land is valuable, and with thousands of people, there is probably no chance for them to meet again.

Looking at the pink beauty, Lu Jing nags for once in his life: "Little girl, don't run around drinking anymore."

Song Lingyi turned around, made a face at him, and trotted away.

Heh... clever
Lu Jing was both amused and annoyed. He watched her figure disappear at the end of the corridor. The smile on his lips instantly disappeared and his expression became as cold as ice.

"Come out"

Under the bamboo mist and the moon, there was a rustling sound in the bushes, and a masked man in black clothes walked out.

The masked man nodded respectfully and said, "Sir, the account book has been obtained."

Lu Jing said coldly, "Hmm", and took a deep breath, "Chang'an City has been peaceful for a long time, and it's time for a change."

The tone is full of expectation
(End of this chapter)