Qin Kou'er smiled slightly, knowing in her heart that this was definitely Lan Linxue's deep disgust for Hu Feifan's actions, even though she didn't say it, and it was a merciless blow.
Making the eldest grandson of the Hu family kneel in the Hall of Sinners is undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face to those wealthy people who just gave away their silver, and a stab in the back to Hu Feifan: handing over their hard-earned silver to a criminal means they've wasted their money on the wrong person! Of course, this also clearly tells the world that the future ruler of the country has no regard for the Hu family, and there's likely to be undercurrents of turmoil in the court again.
But that wasn't Qin Kou'er's biggest concern right now; her mind was still on Zhao Ling'er, who was about to appear outside.
Although Qin Kou'er was always very confident in herself and believed that Zhao Ling'er could never escape her grasp, she absolutely could not be complacent about the possibility of unforeseen circumstances. In this world, nothing is ever absolute!
Just as the three of them were lost in their own thoughts, a deep drumbeat outside drew everyone's attention, and the noise in the hall began to subside.
Qin Kou'er knew that the competition was about to begin. She calmly sat down, picked up her teacup, and quietly looked outside.
Sure enough, the candles began to go out one by one, and the doors of the Mandarin Duck Tower slowly closed. The huge platform in the center slowly rose, and layers of red gauze fell from all directions, surrounding the entire platform and creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Four young women, dressed in yellow gauze with nothing underneath, slowly walked onto the stage, each holding a luminous pearl. They placed the not-so-bright pearls in the four corners and then knelt on one knee in each corner as if welcoming a celestial maiden.
The man outside's eyes turned red at the sight of the four naked girls, and he made strange noises, like a hungry wolf eyeing a lamb.
Lan Linxue, however, looked outside with an expression of extreme disgust. A woman without clothes was like a sow without skin—utterly hideous.
Qin Kou'er stared at the outside with considerable admiration. It seemed Lan Linxue had really spent a lot of money; she'd actually managed to get everyone out naked!
"Uncle Lan, how much silver did you give the madam? How could she make them serve you like this?" Qin Kou'er turned to look at Lan Linxue, who was already getting impatient, with amusement.
"Ten thousand taels! Plus three daggers and countless white silk ribbons!" Lan Linxue said calmly while fiddling with the mask in her hand.
Qin Kou'er nodded in understanding, "You've had a tough time! People without money have no choice but to risk their lives!"
Lan Linxue glared at Qin Kou'er with utter disgust. "I find you to be a truly awful woman! You're not even worthy to be my wife, let alone carry my shoes!"
Qin Kou'er didn't care at all, and still smiled charmingly as she said, "We can talk about carrying shoes later. The main thing is that you'll soon owe me a foot bath, so don't forget that!"
"Get the person back to me first!" Lan Linxue scoffed at the idea.
Sure enough, music began to play on both sides, the surrounding light became even dimmer, and the light from the four luminous pearls became even more dim.
Finally, amidst everyone's anticipation, the hidden door in the center of the stage opened, and a stunningly beautiful figure appeared before them, dancing gracefully behind a red veil.
Immediately, applause, exclamations, cheers, and even the sound of swallowing saliva filled the air.
The woman was clearly not dressed, only wearing a red gauze robe over her shoulders. Her long hair flowed freely, and her slender waist was so delicate it seemed one could encircle it with a single hand. Her beautiful eyes held a mixture of allure and tenderness. As she turned, holding her zither, she was truly like a celestial maiden descended from heaven, captivating and breathtakingly beautiful.
Qin Kou'er nodded approvingly, "The courtesan of this Yuanyang Tower is indeed extraordinary. Just based on her slender waist, she could be considered a goddess descended from heaven."
Lan Linxue sneered, "What celestial maiden descending to earth? Bullshit! Have you ever seen a fairy descend to earth without clothes on?"
Qin Kou'er frowned, not even turning her head to look at Lan Linxue, "Your Highness! I know you have a penchant for men, but you don't have to be so obvious about it all the time. Besides, when have you ever seen a Buddha of Joy wearing clothes? So, sometimes you should know how to hide your lack of substance, at least so that others don't think you're a person of low character!"
"The Buddha of Joy is one who wears clothes!" Lan Linxue slammed her teacup on the table in annoyance. "I, the Crown Prince, mean I wear clothes! And I mean I don't wear clothes! Qin Kou'er, if you dare to disobey me again, I will..."
"Don't speak!" Qin Kou'er suddenly extended a finger and accurately pressed it against Lan Linxue's lips, sealing his mouth. "Listen!"
A soft piano note rang out, and the surroundings fell silent instantly.
Although Lan Linxue remained silent, her heart was in turmoil: Qin Kou'er had actually pressed her finger to her precious lips? How disgusting!
Sitting stiffly in the chair like a wooden statue, Lan Linxue's germaphobia kicked in. She kept wiping her mouth with her hands and focused all her attention on Qin Kou'er, glancing at her sideways while plotting a scheme in her mind.
Qin Kou'er, however, focused all her attention on Zhao Ling'er outside.
The zither's melodious strains and the resonant notes of the qin (a seven-stringed zither) seemed to come from beyond the heavens, captivating and enchanting.
This is a piece called "High Mountains and Flowing Water," which, under Zhao Ling'er's hands, seems to have come to life, instantly leading the listener's soul to a paradise on earth.
However, Qin Kou'er's face revealed a different expression, which seemed to be the composure of discovering some secret, or the excitement of solving a mystery.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
