Then he added, "He's a very cunning man, and he's afraid of death. You just caused a scene at the city gate, so he should have been on guard."
Gu Shouping recovered and pleaded, "Xinzhi, I was wrong. I'll give you the bellyband, but you're the only one in my heart."
Chu Jinjin kicked him in the mouth.
Since Li Xinzhi has shown sincerity, she has to reciprocate in kind.
They quickly agreed on a meeting time and method, then escorted Gu Shouping down the mountain, following the least crowded route. By the time they reached the Chu family's carriage, Gu Shouping was already nearly unrecognizable from the ordeal.
He had never suffered like this before, crawling through forests and climbing ravines, but if he slowed down even a little, Chu Jinjin would stab him with a dagger.
The women all went out to enjoy the spring scenery and flowers, leaving only the coachman waiting in the same spot.
Seeing the Third Miss leading a blood-soaked figure stealthily out of the woods, he was so shocked he almost jumped up.
They wanted to ask but didn't dare, and obediently followed instructions.
Gu Shouping's estate was small, with only two rough-working women and a few older servants. Even if Gu Shouping asked them to go, they dared not go.
The study is decorated with many paintings, all of them portraits, and I must say, they are quite well done.
Chu Jinjin saw Li Xinzhi's picture; it was right in the middle.
Gu Shouping was traumatized by the beating and weakly explained before being asked, "I... I like to keep an extra copy as a souvenir."
Keeping portraits of women, especially those of unusual status, could get you beaten to death if it got out.
Chu Jinjin looked around carefully and saw that there were about twenty women of different ages. Then, thinking about what Li Xinzhi had said, she frowned and said, "Could it be that you have that kind of relationship with all these women?"
It's impossible for portraits to be painted only of young women, as they are specifically made for important figures.
Gu Shouping waved his hands repeatedly in fright: "No, that's not true."
Chu Jinjin kicked him impatiently: "Hold on tight, where's the undergarment?"
Gu Shouping climbed onto the bed with his butt sticking out and fiddled with things for a while, trying to block Chu Jinjin's view with his body, but he couldn't hide it from her.
"Get out of the way." Chu Jinjin kicked it away again, and when she saw what was in the hidden compartment, she gasped.
There was a whole stack of bibs, neatly folded according to their patterns.
Gu Shouping knew he couldn't hide it anymore, and his face turned ashen: "She, they all volunteered."
Chu Jinjin understood Li Xinzhi's feelings.
The profession of painter is, in some ways, more attractive than that of a scholar, and Gu Shouping is handsome and probably good at sweet talk, often saying things like "You are the only one in my heart."
Chu Jinjin was mainly shocked by the sheer number of people.
In this era, which man with even a little wealth didn't have three wives and six concubines? Some even took concubines when they were quite old.
If men can do it, why can't women?
Why would so many women stay with one man?
So it's understandable.
Chu Jinjin's attention quickly shifted to the innermost part of the hidden compartment, where there was a thick stack of silver notes, amounting to nearly ten thousand taels.
The normal market price for a portrait ranges from ten to several tens of taels, with the most expensive reaching a maximum of one hundred taels.
Gu Shouping calculated at one hundred taels, which would require a full thousand people.
And this estate.
"You really are a beast." Chu Jinjin stuffed the silver notes into her pocket with a righteous air. "This ill-gotten wealth is mine now. Do you have any objections?"
Gu Shouping's eyes turned bloodshot, and he suddenly rushed forward like a madman to snatch it: "You bitch, I'll fight you to the death."
He had just lost his beloved, and now he was about to lose all his money; this was tantamount to killing him.
"You should at least see if you're qualified to fight." This time, Chu Jinjin didn't hold back. She kicked him in the heart and said coldly, "I was going to spare your life, but you're asking for it."
He's even more disgusting than Xu Wenda.
She's a womanizer who also scams people out of their money.
Gu Shouping clutched his chest in pain, unable to speak for a long time. When he saw Chu Jinjin pull out the dagger, the wound on his palm became extremely painful, and he immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Don't kill me, don't kill me."
Chu Jinjin was only trying to scare him; there were people outside. She didn't expect him to be such a coward. She held the dagger to his throat and said in a vicious voice, "Give me a reason not to kill you."
Unexpectedly, this sentence yielded an unexpected result.
Gu Shouping trembled all over: "Prince Consort, the Prince Consort is going to make a move against your family."
Chu Jinjin's expression hardened: "What? Explain yourself clearly?"
Gu Shouping pointed to the undergarment, and with permission, crawled over like a maggot, pulling out a pink one from inside. Trembling, he tried to prove himself: "Prince Consort Zheng has been keeping a mistress behind the princess's back. I... I had my portrait drawn. She's very fond of me. The day after you went to ask for the dowry at the Xu family wedding, I went again. Afterwards, we talked about you..."
Fearing that Chu Jinjin wouldn't believe him, he pointed to a portrait on the wall and pleaded, "I really didn't lie, this is the prince consort's concubine."
Chu Jinjin knew about the prince consort.
The imperial court had rules that the son-in-law of the emperor was not allowed to participate in politics, but he could engage in business.
This Prince Consort Zheng, whom my father had mentioned many times, was one of the Chu family's main rivals.
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