One was a stranger who had just humiliated him, the other a former lover who now wanted to kill him. Which should he choose?
Before Bai Sen could make up his mind, Qian Xingzhi helpfully reminded him: "Not long after you were sold into Full Moon Tower, you latched onto the Third Prince. In the following half year, almost all of your former family members died without a proper burial. Later, you began to control the food, clothing, and living of all the male performers, and verbal abuse was the least of it. You even abducted several young children into Full Moon Tower. Bai Sen, you have quite a list of crimes."
The more Bai Sen listened, the paler his face grew. Indeed, he had gotten carried away after gaining power. He had thought that once the Third Prince ascended the throne, he would enjoy a lifetime of luxury. But instead, shackles had come first.
Qian Xingzhi applied pressure unhurriedly. "So you'd better choose carefully. This world rarely gives you a second chance to correct a mistake."
Bai Sen frantically searched for a way out. If what this officer said was true, returning to the Third Prince's side would certainly be a dead end. Moreover, the Third Prince had been punished and was no longer as powerful as before. What benefits could he still enjoy? If he followed this lord before him, even though he didn't know his identity, the fact that he dared to snatch someone from the Third Prince meant he had some backing. So what if he suffered humiliation? In the past, when he followed the Third Prince, he had also been servile.
Having made up his mind, Bai Sen calmed down, lowered his eyes, and was completely different from before. "Since you, my lord, think so highly of me, I will naturally follow you."
Qian Xingzhi sighed. "You've chosen wrongly. The Third Prince still thinks of you and sent me to test your loyalty. Bai Sen, how could you fail such a test? If the Third Prince asks, how am I supposed to answer?"
Bai Sen was dumbfounded. Then he couldn't remain calm at all and finally cursed, "You despicable wretch! You play with people's hearts!"
Qian Xingzhi clapped her hands. "Alright, now I'm your only lifeline."
Bai Sen slumped to the ground, having completely lost the will to struggle. "What do you want from me, my lord? Just say it."
A kind smile returned to Qian Xingzhi's lips. "I'll release you tomorrow. Then you'll understand."
She turned and left the cell. In the corridor, a youth wrapped in a faded coarse linen robe was waiting for her.
Qian Xingzhi approached him with an air of ease. "How was it? Satisfied?"
The youth had regular features, but a hideous scar stretched from his eyebrow across his left cheek, startling all who saw it.
He didn't answer Qian Xingzhi. Instead, he made to kneel. Before Qian Xingzhi could stop him, a 'thump' sounded as he knocked his head on the ground.
"Yin Tan thanks you, my lord," he said, refusing to rise. "I have nothing to repay your kindness except to offer myself for your command."
Qian Xingzhi tugged at him. "You're thanking me already? It's not over yet. From now on, you're not allowed to kneel when speaking to me. That's an order."
Five days earlier, when Qian Xingzhi had discovered Bai Sen, she had also found Yin Tan.
He looked no more than a child. How had he ended up in Full Moon Tower? That scar on his face was old, surely hiding a story.
After just a few words, Yin Tan saw the sorrow and sympathy flicker in Qian Xingzhi's eyes and soon poured out his entire story.
When Yin Tan was six, his father was conscripted for hard labor and never returned. His mother raised him alone.
At age ten, news of his father finally came. A letter said he was gravely ill at the frontier and urgently needed money.
What savings did a widow and orphan have? Bai Sen appeared out of nowhere, generously offering to lend them silver.
He was handsome and, unlike other male performers, never affected or pretentious. Yin Tan grew close to him.
Before a reply came from his father, Bai Sen showed his true colors.
"How can you take my silver and not repay it? That's not right!" He accused them of maliciously defaulting and forcibly took Yin Tan as payment into Full Moon Tower.
"A debt must be repaid—it's only natural." Under this banner, Bai Sen made Yin Tan serve him tea and water and attend to his daily needs.
This couldn't last forever; eventually, Yin Tan would be forced into bed. But he couldn't escape, especially since the Third Prince was using Full Moon Tower to extract money and maintained tight security.
At fourteen, Bai Sen finally made his move on Yin Tan.
"Find yourself a patron, like I did, and you won't have to serve me anymore. Yin Tan, the sooner you accept, the sooner you'll be free."
He was lying. The day Yin Tan gave in would be the day he was completely trapped here.
A hairpin tore through skin and flesh. Yin Tan's hand trembled as he held the pin, blood streaming down his face, but he smiled a rare smile. "If you push me again, the next jab will go straight into your heart."
Yin Tan had expected the usual beating, but to his surprise, Bai Sen was afraid.
Yin Tan was never forced again. The wound on his face was never properly treated, and it left a scar.
"Tomorrow, after I'm done questioning Bai Sen, he's yours to deal with," Qian Xingzhi said, patting Yin Tan's shoulder. "Since you've chosen to follow me, this is my gift to you."
Yin Tan tried to kneel again, but a warning look from Qian Xingzhi made him remember.
A thought struck Qian Xingzhi. "Yin Tan—that's your stage name, isn't it? What was your original name? Go back to it."
"No…" Yin Tan's face turned deeply embarrassed, and he stammered, "Thank you, my lord, but… no, please just call me Yin Tan."
"Don't force yourself," Qian Xingzhi said, thinking he might despise the name. "From now on, do whatever makes you comfortable. No need to be constrained."
The next day, in the cell.
"Tell me, how many of the Third Prince's secrets do you know?"
Bai Sen sneered. "So that's all you wanted? Why go to such lengths? I'm just a toy for the Third Prince's amusement. What secrets would I know?"
Qian Xingzhi nodded. "So after one night, you're determined to die. I know that when the Third Prince discussed matters, he never excluded you. You must have picked up some information. Bai Sen, you wouldn't want me to resort to torture, would you?"
At the word 'torture,' Bai Sen flinched. "If I tell you early, will you let me go?"
Qian Xingzhi smiled harmlessly. "I promise."
This person dished out lies one after another. Could she be trusted? Hesitantly, Bai Sen still spoke. "The Tenth Princess… is the Third Prince's."
"What?!" Qian Xingzhi was thunderstruck. She stood there in a daze for a long moment.
The Tenth Princess? Oh! When she was first summoned by Jun Anche, Lu Yu had mentioned that the New Year celebration coincided with the Tenth Princess's full moon ceremony!
Damn! She had thought that Jun Anche, at his age, could still father a child. Instead, she'd stumbled upon such a huge piece of gossip.
"There's nothing else important. I've told you the most crucial thing I know. You have to keep your promise!" Bai Sen begged repeatedly. "Just let me live."