Chapter 16 Uneasiness
A beautiful woman's shadow is reflected in the window, her graceful figure swaying as she trims the candle.
Li Qu had only meant to tease Granny Xu by making her run an errand, but little did she know that Granny Xu was truly an extraordinary person with exceptional abilities.
Her plain silk nightgown sleeves were half-rolled up, and her beautiful hair draped casually from her shoulders to her chest. She was raising a pair of scissors to trim the candle wick when she heard Xu Mama's words. She turned to look at the beaming Xu Mama, her face full of disbelief: "Now?"
Xu Mama said with a beaming smile, "Yes, the master has already prepared a carriage, saying he's taking his concubine out for a night out."
"Didn't you say I had already washed up and was ready to rest?" After thinking for a moment, she felt that this didn't fit the persona she had established for 'willingly serving Zhou Jin', so she added, "What I meant was that it would take a long time to get dressed and change clothes again."
"Don't worry, Auntie, Miss Huaichun will be here soon."
Does being in love grant one three heads and six arms?
As it turns out, Huaichun didn't have three heads and six arms, but she did have a group of capable people.
In addition, Li Qu had already washed herself from head to toe, and from choosing clothes and applying makeup to finishing her hair, it only took two incense sticks to burn.
Moreover, Li Qu discovered that the clothes Huai Chun had chosen for her were not the elegant and tasteful clothes that the tailor had recently made for her, but rather the slightly frivolous clothes that Xu Mama had prepared for her when she first entered the mansion.
Four burly women carried a sedan chair directly to the courtyard gate to pick up the person. They quickly walked to the side gate of the main gate and burned an incense stick.
When Li Qu arrived, Zhou Jin had not yet arrived.
She stood outside the door, her gaze sweeping across the east-west street in front of the Zhou family mansion, finally settling on Chaoyang Street, which led directly to the south gate of the city.
On the street, torches were stationed, guards stood in rows, and the rules were strict.
She had considered escaping from the Zhou family mansion, but the mansion was located in the central part of Hezhou City, with the Zhou family members living in four separate neighborhoods around it.
The main streets of Zhou's residence lead directly to the four city gates, with countless smaller paths. The area is heavily guarded and patrolled by guards. She was unfamiliar with the terrain outside the city, and once she left the Zhou residence, she would have no way to avoid the guards or find a way to escape.
Now that things have come to this, I can only lament that man proposes, God disposes; I must make another plan.
Nowadays, it's better to have the opportunity to go out and fill in any gaps in our knowledge; it's always beneficial.
As Zhou Jin strode into the courtyard, he saw a graceful figure standing at the door. The veil only reached her shoulders, and the brocade dress accentuated her stunning curves, immediately catching Zhou Jin's eye.
Although Li Qu was looking outside the door, she kept an eye on the inside out of the corner of her eye. When she saw Zhou Jin coming in, she immediately stepped forward and bowed: "Master."
Zhou Jin walked past her, the wind swirling the curtains to reveal a beautiful face that astonished a patrol of guards who happened to be passing by.
The two rode in the same carriage, leaving Zhoushifang, where the Zhou family gathered, and arrived at the main street.
Since arriving at Hezhou, Li Qu had not yet had a good look at the street scenes of Hezhou. Seeing Zhou Jin resting with his eyes closed in the carriage, he couldn't help but quietly lift the curtain and look out.
The bustling street scene and vendors didn't catch her eye; the iconic buildings, however, passed through her mind.
She only remembers the path she has walked, unaware that her face has amazed passersby.
The interplay of light and shadow inside and outside the carriage added a touch of mystery to the beauty.
See the flowers through the fog, appreciate the beauty under the lamplight.
Before long, a group of young travelers followed behind the carriage.
The guards outside the carriage shouted, "How dare you block the Zhou family's carriage!"
The crowd behind the car scattered in surprise. Li Qu turned around and saw that Zhou Jin had opened his eyes at some point and was looking at her with a gaze that Li Qu dared not decipher.
She quickly lowered the curtain and gave Zhou Jin a friendly smile.
Zhou Jin was still staring at himself.
The bright pearls inside the carriage shone brightly, and Li Qu gradually felt a chill run down her spine.
Zhou Jin's gaze at that moment made her uneasy.
She slowly tightened her grip on the handkerchief in her hand, taking the initiative to break the ice: "When I arrived at Hezhou, I had not yet seen the scenery of Hezhou. I was really curious and couldn't help but lift the curtain to look out. I broke the rules. It was my fault."
Zhou Jin remained silent, his eyes calm as a still pool, devoid of warmth and unfathomable.
Just as Li Qu felt that Zhou Jin might pull out a dagger and end her life at any moment, the carriage stopped.
Zhou Jin stood up, a slight chill in his step, and walked past her.
Granny Xu got into the carriage, placed the veil on Li Qu's head, straightened Li Qu's clothes, and helped Li Qu get out of the carriage.
"Third Uncle, we've been waiting for you."
Once Li Qu had steadied herself, she saw through the veil a man about the same age as Zhou Jin walking up the steps.
Li Qu looked up at the dazzling and bustling pavilion and saw beautiful women leaning on the railing, with guests as numerous as clouds.
The plaque upstairs clearly reads the three characters "Baoyuelou" (抱月楼).
Li Qu's face instantly turned ugly.
Li Qu knew the most about Baoyue Tower in Hezhou.
This building, along with the Baoyue Building in the capital, the Zhaoyue Building in Yan, and the Wangyue Building in the south, are collectively known as the Four Towers of Wind and Moon.
Countless famous actresses and beauties, and priceless fine wines and delicacies.
A den of iniquity is also a place of ecstasy.
The game we played most often was a contest of beauty.
As the name suggests, it's a drinking party where everyone tries to outdo each other in style and flair.
Men would bring their concubines or famous actresses to compete in beauty contests, taking pride in the concubine winning the most.
At first, you're an outsider; upon reunion, you're already an insider.
Li Qu followed Zhou Jin through the fragrant, lively hall filled with singing and dancing, unrestrained behavior, and laughter. They turned through the pavilions and corridors and entered the banquet hall where the singing and dancing had already begun. Zhou Jin led her directly to the head seat.
Zhou Feng, who welcomed them, stopped the singing and dancing upon entering the venue and then steered the conversation toward Zhou Jin.
In the game, everyone has a beautiful woman by their side, either one or several.
Since the meeting was held in a place filled with beautiful women, the topic naturally revolved around them.
After a round of toasts, everyone's attention naturally fell on Li Qu.
"Since this is the first time Third Master has brought a beauty into the game, he must have something special about him. Now that she's inside, why bother with a curtain? Why don't we do Third Master the honor of seeing the young mistress's beauty?"
One person spoke, and everyone burst into laughter; even the beauties serving around them joined in the jeering.
Li Qu looked at Zhou Jin, who had a smile on his lips but remained noncommittal. Through the veil, she glared at Zhou Jin fiercely.
Then, taking a deep breath and adjusting her breathing, she smiled and removed her veil under everyone's watchful eyes, giving everyone the best angle to look at her. She then looked up at everyone present.
Upon seeing this, the person who spoke was stunned, and some people unconsciously let the wine spill from their chins.
Li Qu was already beautiful, and with the adornment of rouge, the embellishment of pearls and jade, and the support of her gorgeous clothes, she became even more radiant and incomparably beautiful.
In addition, Li Qu's eyes were deliberately alluring, shy and timid, clear and watery.
After one lap, the arena was quiet.
This is the third skill she has learned.
A woman is like water; every frown and smile, every frown and anger, is full of tenderness. She can temper steel and become the white moonlight.
Because Xiao Cong noticed her long, slender fingers and thought it a pity she didn't learn the zither, Lin Wanru took her to Zhaoyue Tower and had her learn the zither from Yuechan, a master zither player there.
At Lin Wanru's behest, Yuechan not only refused to teach Yuechan to play the zither, but also mocked her innocent background, accusing her of adopting the mannerisms of entertainers and willingly degrading herself.
She was already restless and didn't want to learn this useless zither skill, so she didn't care whether Yuechan taught her or not.
But being ridiculed by others every day, she felt angry that Lin Wanru was blaming her for all of Xiao Cong's mistakes.
So he spent a lot of money to find a retired top prostitute and learn some seductive tricks.
She was determined to use this on Xiao Cong, to let Lin Wanru know that she was not someone to be trifled with, and that Lin Wanru was not someone to be manipulated at will.
Therefore, although she did not master the art of playing the zither, she learned what kind of men were attracted to.
She held the wine in her slender hand, looked at Zhou Jin who had stopped laughing at some point, and offered him the fine wine: "It seems that you are a regular here, sir. In the past, when I was not by your side to keep you company, who was it?"
As everyone gradually came to their senses, some tidied their appearance, but no one acted as recklessly as before.
Zhou Jin glanced at her coldly, then looked at everyone present: "Didn't you say you invited Miss Haoyue to accompany you tonight?"
Immediately, someone echoed this and sent someone to inform Haoyue.
But when Li Qu heard the name Haoyue, his face stiffened.
She and Haoyue had met once before. She praised Haoyue for her beauty that could shame the moon and flowers, and Haoyue sighed that she had a face that was unforgettable.
It's true that they flatter each other, and it's also true that they praise each other.
She can't meet with Haoyue!
Seeing that Zhou Jin did not take the wine cup from her hand, she slammed the cup down on the table: "Since you have a beauty to keep you company, why did you bring your concubine out here!"
Having said that, without even looking at Zhou Jin's expression, she got up and took the veil.
Even though she moved quickly, Haoyue, who had been waiting at the door for a summons, caught a glimpse of a stunning yet familiar profile as she entered.
Haoyue is skilled in dancing and playing the pipa, and has a pure and beautiful appearance.
When she caught a glimpse of Li Qu, Li Qu also noticed a touch of crimson.
She released Dai Mili's hand and looked down gracefully, where she saw a beautiful woman holding a pipa, her figure slender, greeting everyone with the instrument: "This servant greets all the gentlemen."
She remained as obedient and gentle as ever, but if her crimson dress were replaced with a light moon white, she would have looked even more pitiful.
However, plain colors are now considered cheap, while brothels prefer brightly colored colors.
She watched as Haoyue displayed her most alluring beauty to Zhou Jin, then glanced at Zhou Jin before turning and walking away.
She desperately wanted Zhou Jin to have his eyes on a new beauty, so that he might not focus his attention on her.
As soon as Li Qu stepped out, the sounds of clinking glasses, playing music, and feasting filled the air behind her.
She left without any pressure, and took the opportunity to take Granny Xu to stroll through the night market.
Just as Zhou Jin and the others were leaving, he returned to the carriage to wait for Zhou Jin.
Zhou Jin had been drinking, and when he lifted the carriage curtain, the smell of alcohol wafted out.
Whether he was drunk or not, Zhou Jin staggered. Li Qu rushed to help him, but before she could touch him, he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the carriage seat.
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