17. Silk & Sin

"Stop!"

A clear, cold voice rang out like a chime on stone, echoing through the empty, shadowed Yong Row.

"Who's that?"

The overseer turned, spotting a white-clad girl standing gracefully nearby.

He opened his mouth to snap at her, but then saw her exquisite, almost sculpted beauty and the icy anger in her clear eyes.

"Princess Qing!"

The overseer dropped to his knees, heedless of the filth, banging his head on the ground as cold sweat poured down.

Caught in this shady act… He didn't dare wonder why a noble was here, but he knew begging was his only shot at mercy.

"This old eunuch has no rank and has reached the limit. He should've been expelled, but he resisted the law. I had no choice but to do this. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Not a word about pocketing the silver.

"Oh."

Hearing her reply, the overseer's heart pounded with unease.

"Then assign him to my palace."

Qing's voice remained cool and steady, colder than the autumn air.

"Yes, yes, I'll arrange it at once!"

"Leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Relieved, the overseer scrambled off with his men, not daring to linger.

Only when they were gone did Qing step forward, kneeling beside the trembling, pained Elder Mu. A soft glow bloomed from her hand, soothing his wounds.

"Princess!"

Elder Mu lifted his weathered, dust-caked face, gazing at the girl before him, a vision of an immortal come to save him. His heart felt redeemed, and tears streamed down as he sobbed.

In a rush, he threw himself into her arms.

Qing's body stiffened instantly, the glow fading. She felt his bony, withered arms wrap around her waist, his filthy, tear-streaked face burying into her chest.

She could feel the contours of his face brushing the edges of her breasts, sending a faint tingle and heat through her. Even his grip on her waist softened her tense frame unwittingly.

His body carried an unshakable stench and a potent masculine scent that flooded her senses, igniting a strange warmth and weakness within her.

She raised a hand to push him away but paused midair, unable to follow through.

Perhaps it was pity, or her kind nature, or something else…

"Wahh… sob…"

A man nearing sixty wept shamelessly in the arms of a stunning girl, dignity cast aside.

After a while, Elder Mu seemed to realize his state and pulled back in panic. Seeing the mess of tears, snot, and dirt smeared on Qing's chest, he stammered, "Princess! I'm sorry! I…"

"It's fine."

Elder Mu wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he thought he saw a fleeting flush on Qing's moon-like face before it returned to calm. With a flash of magic, her soiled white dress was pristine again.

His eyes lingered on her chest, his mind flashing back to that soft warmth.

What was it like?

Softer than cotton, yet gentle as ocean waves, smooth as silk but firm and elastic. Just brushing against it had nearly stolen his breath.

He could still feel the lingering warmth and faint fragrance of her breasts on his face, stirring his long-dormant lust. Beneath his loose trousers, his erection strained, forming a visible bulge.

"Disgraceful!"

Qing, regaining her composure, glanced at his rising crotch. A flush crossed her pale face, part shame, part irritation.

"Heh…"

Hearing her words, Elder Mu, seasoned by years, knew she wasn't truly angry. He awkwardly covered himself, chuckling sheepishly.

Qing adjusted her clothes and stood, her full breasts tracing an arc in the air, round and flawless like fine porcelain. Elder Mu's groin throbbed harder.

Beneath her rounded, youthful hips, her long, smooth legs curved perfectly, even under fabric, radiating allure.

She stood quietly, a trace of sorrow and worry in her eyes as she gazed somewhere beyond the palace, perhaps at someone, a flicker of sadness passing through.

After a moment, she turned back to Elder Mu, avoiding his twitching trousers as if they didn't exist. Her cool voice was steady as ever. "In a few days, come serve in my palace."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Elder Mu was overjoyed. Working in the princess's palace, could he see her every day? It'd be paradise!

Qing nodded and left.

Elder Mu remained, lost in his delight.

Autumn brought not just cooler air but shorter days and longer nights.

Li, sneaking out for fun, was still buzzing with excitement. With Wally Wang footing the bill, her outings were a breeze.

Through Wally, she'd discovered how vibrant and thrilling the world beyond the palace could be, especially with money. The more cash, the more fun.

By dusk, Li hitched a ride back with Wally's carriage while Hana went ahead to check their secret route, ensuring the emperor hadn't noticed.

"Heh, Princess Li, did you have fun today?" Wally asked, his fat face squeezing his tiny eyes into slits as he grinned.

"Yeah! I had no idea the capital had so much cool stuff!"

Li's playful spirit was insatiable, and she only wished she had more time to explore with Wally.

Wally's beady eyes darted around, hesitating, before settling on Li's youthful yet breathtakingly beautiful face. Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind.

"Uh… Your Highness."

Wally rubbed his hands, his expression awkward. "You've spent quite a bit these past few days…"

Quite a bit? Nearly a million taels!

"Oh!" Li shrugged. "I'll pay you back when I get my monthly allowance…"

"Great. It's nine hundred eighty thousand taels total…"

"Wait!" Li snapped to attention, eyes wide. "Nine hundred eighty thousand?"

Her monthly stipend was just ten thousand taels. Nine hundred eighty thousand was almost eight years' worth.

"No way! How's that possible?" Li wasn't clueless about money anymore, this was no small sum.

"You lost six hundred thousand at the casino in half a month. The private room at Pear Garden costs a thousand a day. Wine Fragrance Pavilion racked up sixty thousand…" Wally rattled off the figures like a ledger, down to the pastries she'd bought, not a coin off.

"To be exact, it's nine hundred eighty thousand, three thousand, four hundred twenty-two taels."

Li's face scrunched into a grimace. She hadn't realized she'd blown through so much in half a month. Pinching her nose, she muttered, "I'll pay you back."

"But this money didn't just fall from the sky. I've got thousands in my guild to feed. I can wait, but they can't…" Wally feigned distress.

"How about I talk to the emperor in a few days…"

"No!!!"

The mention of her father sent Li into a panic. She couldn't let him find out about her sneaking out and racking up debts, gambling, no less.

The empress would probably punish her harshly too, not plead her case.

"Just… don't tell Father…" Li fidgeted.

"Then this debt…" Wally saw her trapped and smirked like a weasel with a stolen hen.

"How about a deal? Finish it, and not only will I wipe the slate clean, but I'll cover whatever you want in the future, no limit."

Li's brows furrowed, suspicion clouding her stunning face. Sharp as she was, she sensed trouble brewing.

But she was in the wrong, so with a sour look, she asked, "What deal…?"

"Nothing big!" Wally's gaze turned lecherous, his tiny eyes glinting with greed, making Li instinctively recoil in disgust.

After all that buildup, his true intent was clear.

"I… I want your stockings!"

"What?!!"

Li's face flushed red, and she shook her head furiously, rejecting the absurd request.

Though naïve in some ways, she knew a girl's private garments weren't to be shown lightly, only to a husband… or lover.

Feng Wei's face flashed in her mind, his handsome, carefree features, and she felt no aversion.

"Hyah!"

The coachman's call to stop the horses sounded. They'd reached the palace gates.

"Sigh…" Wally sighed dramatically, feigning despair. "Guess I'll have to tell the emperor…"

"You, you, you…" Li's heart churned with indignation and shame.

"Princess, hurry! The guards are changing shifts!" Hana's urgent voice came from outside, adding to Li's torment.

Finally, as if giving in, she swiftly hiked up her trousers, revealing a glimpse of her flawless, jade-like calf. She yanked off her shoe, tore off a white silk stocking, and flung it into the carriage like trash before jamming her foot back into the shoe.

She leapt out and fled with Hana back to the palace in a flustered rush.

Wally sat stunned, savoring the fleeting glimpse.

Her calf was like a lotus root of white jade, ivory-pure and spotless, its perfect curve taut and smooth. Her calf muscle was full and firm, like a crescent blade, more flawless than the ripest banana, her snowy skin glistening like crystal.

But then he groaned in regret, he'd been so fixated on her leg he'd missed her foot entirely.

His chubby fingers tremblingly picked up the silk stocking like a treasure. He inhaled deeply, finding no trace of odor, only a rich, floral scent, the lingering warmth of her foot driving him wild.

He tugged down his trousers, revealing a rock-hard cock. Over twenty centimeters long, it was veined and thick, the bulbous head shaped like a bullet. Despite his pampered, pale flesh, it looked like a fat, white radish.

He sucked in the stocking's aroma, then, in a frenzy, stretched it open and slid it over his shaft.

The silk's smooth caress jolted him, his belly fat rippling. He gripped the stocking, wrapping it tight around his cock, but its size overwhelmed the delicate fabric, leaving half the throbbing length exposed, much to his frustration.

Yet the tip, shrouded in the stocking, thrilled him, as if he were touching Li's foot itself. He began stroking furiously.

It felt like defiling her perfect feet. His sharp tip oozed sticky precum, soaking the once-pristine silk, mingling with her scent to create a heady, hormonal musk.

"Ahhh… ahhh!!!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!!"

Wally, a veteran of countless women, lost control in mere moments under this thrill. His thick, hot cum erupted, the stocking catching it in clumps as it sprayed from his grotesque, radish-like cock.

The stench of semen and male hormones filled the carriage.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Wally hadn't expected the mental and physical rush to feel like his first time with a woman. Without even touching Li, it was insanely intense, more than his first conquest at twelve.

The stocking's tip ballooned, swollen with cum like a condom, sagging toward the floor. Semen seeped through the silk's weave, dripping in thick, scalding drops onto the carriage cushions.

Wally peeled off the stocking, eyeing the drenched fabric with regret, it was ruined now.

But then a vile grin spread across his face, and he chuckled lewdly.

"There's always next time… heh heh heh…"