Are Jie Du and this Zhan Qin really just bandits and down-on-their-luck scholars?

Chu Jinjin left with this huge question in her mind.

Soon it was time to elect the top courtesan.

The garden is brightly decorated and bustling from daytime. On this day, the guests who can get a seat are extraordinary. The snacks, tea and wine must be of the highest quality, and some are even customized.

As night falls, the magnificent palace lanterns light up one by one, and guests flock to the palace in luxurious carriages and fine horses.

Chu Jinjin was somewhat disappointed. It was completely different from the beauty pageant she had imagined; it was just a sleazy gathering of men.

Including her, there were a total of eight women competing for the title of courtesan. Among them, the one most likely to compete with her was a young lady from a wealthy family who was implicated in her father's and brother's crimes. She reluctantly accepted reality, but could only accept it and could not cooperate. She stood there numbly, quietly waiting for fate to take its course.

Chu Jinjin sighed silently.

Scenes like this happen every day.

To buy her freedom, a huge sum of money is not enough; according to the law, she is essentially serving a prison sentence.

This is a suffocating world.

Chu Jinjin made her entrance, her dimples deep, her figure graceful and elegant. Under the ambiguous lighting, her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes were as bright as the spring colors of April.

The pale yellow dress had many tassels, a cinched waist, and a breathtakingly beautiful silhouette.

Chu Jinjin was originally not under any pressure. The level of exposure of this dress could at most be considered an evening gown.

But once you actually get on the field, you realize it's a completely different story.

Countless eyes were fixed on her private parts, discussing them without restraint, like they were buying something.

Chu Jinjin was extremely frustrated, and the sword in her hand almost flashed with murderous intent. She really wanted to castrate them one by one.

The loudest shouter was Jin Ye, who had been plied with alcohol.

He wasn't ashamed at all; on the contrary, he was proud and excitedly shared with those around him: "This young lady, Pear Blossom, has a huge capacity for alcohol. She managed to get me completely drunk that day. She was really something, hahaha."

The person next to him leered, "I wonder if sexual pleasure is like alcohol tolerance."

A burst of laughter erupted.

The important man's butler arrived. They probably won't have a chance for the first night, but after the first night, there will be countless nights, and one day it will be their turn.

At the back of the crowd, the Black Hawk Chieftain's face was ashen, as if his ancestral graves had been dug up.

Chu Jinjin almost lost to that rich young lady.

It wasn't that the other woman was more beautiful than her, but rather that her sorrowful and heartbroken expression aroused a group of men to no end.

When the final results came out, Mrs. Yang smiled broadly and put a red hairpin, a symbol of good fortune, on Chu Jinjin's head.

The main event of the auction is about to begin.

Chu Jinjin's virginity was auctioned off for one thousand taels of silver.

Not every family is like the Chu family.

That broker, working hard for years against his conscience, earned only a few thousand taels of silver, while the painter Gu Shouping, relying on his pretty face and living off a woman, only earned a little over ten thousand taels.

Zhou Mansion.

Perhaps because of his poor family background when he was young, Zhou Guoshou couldn't make up for his lack of natural endowment no matter how much good food and drink he had. Most of his nutrition was concentrated in his stomach, resulting in a small frame and slender limbs. Wearing a dark blue long gown, he looked just like a big, angry frog.

Normally, Zhou Guoshou would be preparing well in advance on this day, but today guests have arrived.

Someone Chu Jinjin never expected—Li Chengmenling.

Li Chengmen leaned half his buttocks on the chair, his back ramrod straight, and reported respectfully, "It's hard to say how high Chu Jinjin's kung fu is, and I can't figure out what kind of style she has."

Zhou Guoshou nodded expressionlessly.

If Li Xinzhi were present, she would know that this stemmed from a lack of confidence.

"I had someone investigate, but they didn't find anything. The Chu family's business is usually bustling with people, but the Chu family is wealthy, so it's normal for them to invite some talented people to teach martial arts." Li Chengmen had figured out the reason on the way here. He only regretted not having a proper sparring session with Chu Jinjin that night, otherwise he could explain in more detail now.

After that incident, he was only punished with a reduction in his salary on the surface, but everyone with eyes could see that he was basically finished, unless the imperial concubine became the empress dowager.

But by then, let alone remembering his small contribution, it's uncertain whether he'll even live to see it.

Now we've finally found a benefactor!

Li Chengmen knew what Zhou Guoshou was worried about, and respectfully said, "Lord Zhou, you have no need to worry. You are surrounded by experts and have been personally guarded by His Majesty. Even if Chu Jinjin had wings, she would never be able to get close to you."

Zhou Guoshou nodded expressionlessly: "Lord Li, I have asked you to come here today for a favor. Since you have met Chu Jinjin, you should remember what she looks like."

Li Chengmen's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Of course I remember, sir, you want someone to draw your portrait?"

Almost everyone, from high-ranking officials to commoners, knows the name Chu Jinjin, but very few people know what she looks like.

However, it's best not to make too much of a fuss about painting portraits.

Zhou Guoshou is on guard.

When the painter came in, Li Chengmen began to describe the key points in detail: "Her skin is very white, the kind of natural white without makeup, she has two dimples when she smiles, and her eyes are particularly bright."

Facial features are easy to describe, nothing more than size and heart shape, but what impresses people most about Chu Jinjin is her temperament.

At first glance, she's as beautiful as a fairy, but when she gets angry, she's more terrifying than a demon.

As he was speaking, the butler rushed in, looking hesitant to speak.

Zhou Guoshou probably knew what was going on, and waved his hand: "Lord Li is no outsider, so please speak freely."

The butler bowed and said, "Reporting to Master, the most beautiful courtesan of tonight, Manyuanchun, has arrived at the manor."

As the butler, he knew what the master cared about most, and described her vividly: "Tonight's courtesan is named Pear Blossom. As her name suggests, she has skin as white as snow and bright, sparkling eyes. It is said that she is an orphan and lives with her younger brother..."

The artist's brush stopped instinctively.

It sounds the same.

Zhou Guoshou and Li Chengmen exchanged a glance.

Li Chengmen shook his head first: "It must be a coincidence."

She is, after all, the third young lady of the Chu family, and now the head of the family. Of course, he has been to the Manyuan Spring Garden and knows how the courtesan is selected.

Chu Jinjin got out of the sedan chair and pretended to look around blankly.

"Young lady, stop looking. It's your good fortune to be here tonight. I won't hide it from you, our master's surname is Zhou." The manager in charge of the auction said smugly. "You, serve the master well later. If you perform well, he can guarantee you endless wealth and luxury for the rest of your life with just a word."

Chu Jinjin obediently lowered her head: "Thank you for reminding me, sir."

At the same time, her body suddenly tensed up, and she almost couldn't help but turn around to look behind her.

Someone is secretly observing her.

He's quite skilled.

The manager was very satisfied with her performance: "Don't just stand there, come inside."

Chu Jinjin did not move.

The real danger is never what the eyes see, but what the senses perceive.

Throughout the journey, she had been secretly observing from inside the sedan chair. As expected of the residence of a second-rank official, there were not only patrolling soldiers, but also at least five or six ambushes in the shadows.

Now, these ambushers have moved, heading in her direction.