With these thoughts in mind, she made her way up to the second floor on her own.
When she went out, she only intended to gather some information about the young scions of the noble families in the capital, so she didn't bring much silver. However, her clothes were always luxurious. Therefore, when she went up to the private room on the second floor, which was only accessible to the wealthy, the servants didn't stop her. They just took a look and let her go upstairs.
Yi Zhici pushed open the door of the private room.
Inside the room sat three young men, peering through a specially made door at the situation below. That door was quite peculiar. One could see everything clearly from the inside, but nothing at all from the outside.
The young man in the middle was dressed in a brocade robe with dark patterns of epiphyllum in green, and wore a cloak trimmed with fur. Although his clothes were extremely luxurious, his face had a rather lively look, with big eyes. When he saw Yi Zhici come in, though he was puzzled, there was a hint of excitement on his face.
The young man on the left was not dressed in such gaudy clothes. His clothes were made of fine silk with delicate patterns. He was blessed with an other - worldly appearance, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes, looking elegant and refined like the gentle breeze and bright moon.
The young man on the far right didn't seem like an ordinary scion of a noble family. Although he was only wearing a brocade robe embroidered with cloud - geese, there seemed to be a faint air of killing around him.
But he was indeed a young man. He had sword - shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, a well - defined outline, a straight nose, and an imposing manner. However, his good looks did not diminish the air of killing about him in the slightest.
He was like the handsome and elegant young man in the poem, holding a wine cup and looking up at the sky with disdain, as fair as a jade tree in the wind.
Yi Zhici began to regret. These three young men clearly came from extraordinary families. Their bearing was far from ordinary. They were obviously not to be trifled with. How could she get the "Life - and - Death Dependence" from them...
But then she remembered that she had come here today to gather information. Getting close to these three men would also give her more opportunities to find out more. Moreover, she still had to obtain the "Life - and - Death Dependence" to offer it as a birthday gift to Marquis Jing.
With these thoughts in mind, she was no longer afraid. She walked in as casually as if she were taking a stroll in a courtyard.
She smoothed the fake beard stuck on her lips. "Three young brothers, I have a business deal. I wonder if we can discuss it?"
The young master in the middle naturally spoke first. "Tell us quickly."
Yi Zhici walked in, closed the door, and cleared her throat. "You three young masters look quite young. I assume you don't have wives yet. You probably bid for the 'Life - and - Death Dependence' to please your sweethearts. But turning your sweethearts into wives will take some effort. I have many other ways. You don't need the 'Life - and - Death Dependence' to win your sweethearts over."
"Oh, so you want the 'Life - and - Death Dependence'," the lively - looking young man nodded understandingly. "But it was my third brother who bid for it. If you want to discuss it, you should talk to him."
Yi Zhici looked inquiringly and found that the so - called third brother was the one on the far right who seemed the most intimidating. There was a coldness between his eyebrows. His extremely handsome face exuded an aura of authority even when he wasn't angry. He was just sitting there sipping tea and didn't even glance at Yi Zhici.
The lively young man tried to smooth things over again. "My third brother is not good at dealing with people. You can sit down and take a rest first. This is Brother Wu, the second. My third brother's surname is Lin. My name is Wei Yuansi. And what's your name, sir?"
Yi Zhici gave a couple of hearty laughs. "My surname is Yi."
Wei Yuansi told the servant to bring a chair. "Brother Yi, if you want to exchange for the 'Life - and - Death Dependence', you must have some bargaining chips. I wonder how you plan to make the exchange?"
"Did I agree?" A clear and deep voice, very pleasant to hear.
Wei Yuansi was taken aback, and so was Yi Zhici. But the moment of surprise only lasted for an instant. After reacting, Yi Zhici jumped up from the chair again. "Brother Lin, you won't lose out in this deal. I'm very experienced in pleasing women. My methods are much more useful than the 'Life - and - Death Dependence'."
Hearing this, the young man surnamed Lin was a bit taken aback. "Oh? I'd like to hear more."
Yi Zhici got excited. She performed all the magic tricks she had learned from the Azure Sea Villa. She skipped the ones that required materials she didn't have. But these tricks completely caught Wei Yuansi's attention. He even stopped looking at the auction in the hall.
"These magic tricks are just child's play. I know them all well. Brother Lin, are you willing to make the exchange?"
Young Master Lin shook his head. "No exchange."
Yi Zhici: "..."
Young Master Wu spoke up. "Since Brother Yi... Brother Yi is so confident when it comes to women, why do you insist on getting the 'Life - and - Death Dependence'? If you're so persistent about it, why didn't you continue to raise your bid just now? You might not have lost it to Third Brother."
Yi Zhici blushed. "To be honest, I only brought three hundred taels of silver notes when I went out today..."
Wei Yuansi couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yi Zhici then said to Young Master Lin, "Brother Lin, just name your conditions. I'll surely meet them."
Young Master Lin still shook his head. "No conditions. No exchange."
Yi Zhici sighed. "In that case, I'll take my leave!" With that, she turned around and walked out of the private room.
Wei Yuansi and Young Master Wu looked at each other in surprise. "Is he... leaving just like that?"
"He won't give up."
Wei Yuansi became interested. "How do you know? That kid looks young, but he stuck on a fake beard and called himself an elder brother. It's hard not to notice. He's quite interesting."
Young Master Wu also wondered, "He's dressed well. He should be a scion of a noble family. But why don't I remember a noble family with the surname Yi?"
The young man surnamed Lin curved his lips but didn't say anything else.