Chapter 177 Execution Plan, The Alluring Her
Ji Qingwu sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking relaxed, letting Lanzhi do as she pleased, generously giving her the reins.
Lanzhi's head immediately cleared up.
She studied under a makeup instructor at the brothel for a while, but she always lamented not having the opportunity to showcase her talents.
At this moment, Ji Qingwu rested his chin on his hand and softly called out, "Lanzhi."
Lanzhi immediately tensed up, gripping the wooden comb in her hand, and said, "Fifth Miss, you said you would let me do as I please."
Ji Qingwu smiled at her: "I just wanted to remind you that your makeup should be a bit more dramatic."
Lanzhi felt relieved, but then doubts arose. Normally, the Fifth Miss didn't like to wear makeup, so why was she acting so strangely today?
But having finally gotten this chance to dress up with her, Lanzhi happily replied, "These jewels that the First Madam sent do indeed need to be matched with glamorous makeup to look good."
"It would be best if you dressed up as a seductive and alluring woman." Ji Qingwu tilted his head and asked, "Can you do that?"
"Of course." Lan Zhi replied without hesitation, not finding it challenging at all, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Fifth Miss, I've had this idea for a while now. With your natural beauty, any style suits you."
Ji Qingwu sat listlessly in front of the dressing box, like a puppet being manipulated, complying with all the maid's requests.
It took two full hours to finish the makeup.
Lanzhi picked up the jewelry that Qiao had sent over and chose a gilded, cloisonné, kingfisher-feather-inlaid phoenix hairpin to adorn her hair.
She added a gold and beaded jadeite brow pendant, paired with red coral beads and gold tassel earrings.
Ji Qingwu gently shook his head, making a tinkling sound.
Her head was adorned with pearls and jade, even more extravagant than when Qiao had dressed her up before.
Whether she was alluring or not, she didn't know.
But she knew that her neck had reached its limit in terms of weight-bearing capacity.
Lanzhi busied herself serving her, helping her change into a long, cinched red, begonia-red dress with gold thread and shimmering brocade.
After she finished dressing, the long dress slid down to her side like flowing water.
Lanzhi was so excited that she forgot all about etiquette and pulled Ji Qingwu to stand in front of the long bronze mirror near the screen.
As the woman's entire body came into view, Ji Qingwu looked at the unfamiliar woman in front of her. She blinked, her beautiful eyes following her gaze with a captivating charm.
She tried to raise her hand to touch her cheek, but was immediately stopped by Lanzhi's fierce expression.
"Don't move, your makeup will run!"
Ji Qingwu could only lower her hands and examine the dress she was wearing.
She had never worn such a bright color before; the strapless bodice and wide sleeves made her look both radiant and alluring.
However, she took a breath and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Lanzhi, isn't this corset too tight?"
"Fifth Miss, turn around."
Upon hearing this, Ji Qingwu lightly spun halfway around.
The jade belt that cinched her waist was adorned with silver tassels. With the slightest movement of her body, the tassels swayed, drawing all attention to her graceful waist.
Lanzhi laughed like a fool, deeply proud of her skills.
"Not too tight, not too tight, just right, excellent."
Ji Qingwu was amused by the maid's reaction; it seemed her plan would succeed.
*
The midday sun was intense and dazzling.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians, creating a lively atmosphere.
A luxuriously decorated carriage slowly pulled up in front of the crowd, attracting the attention of many.
Even from a few steps away, passersby on the street could smell the enticing aroma emanating from the carriage.
"I wonder which family's young lady is going out with such a big entourage," a curious voice said.
"This carriage looks familiar, doesn't it look like it belongs to the Ji family in the south of the city?" another person chimed in.
"I wonder if it's the fourth daughter of the Ji family or the fifth daughter? I heard that the fourth daughter is very beautiful and was once as famous as Consort Wei in the palace. They were known as the Twin Beauties of Lin'an. They are sisters, so the fifth daughter won't be any less beautiful."
As they were talking, a woman stepped down from the carriage. She was dressed in a light green brocade dress, and while she had a decent air about her, giving off a delicate and refined vibe, she was far from being a beauty.
The man said disappointedly, "This is the Fifth Sister? She's nothing special. I think she's not even as good as Yu Niang, who sells sesame cakes on the street corner."
Another person joked, "You've made your wife so angry that she took the baby and went back to her parents' house. And you've been going to Yu Niang's place to eat pancakes these past few days. Aren't you afraid she'll never want to live with you again?"
The man said, "Yu Niang is so beautiful that even the young lady of the Ji family cannot compare to her."
Lanzhi got off the carriage first and arranged the benches.
She stood respectfully by the carriage and said respectfully, "Fifth Miss."
A slender hand lifted the curtain, revealing half of a white bowl, and the noise of the crowd instantly subsided.
The light gauze quickly covered her fair wrists, and the woman in the carriage stepped down slowly, each step like a bewitching lotus blooming on the ground.
The gasps of amazement were particularly noticeable on the bustling street.
Ji Qingwu held Lanzhi's arm, accepting everyone's scrutiny. Every smile and frown of hers was captivating.
The person who had just said she was no match for Yu Niang was already in a daze, and after she left, she was laughed at by the people around her for a long time.
Ji Qingwu walked back and forth on the street in a high-profile manner.
She and Lanzhi had patronized every shop on the street that sold women's products.
She didn't buy anything, but the shop owners always greeted her warmly.
Because whenever she entered that shop, there would always be a lot of people with ulterior motives who would come in and try to strike up a conversation with her, including many wealthy young men.
After Ji Qingwu left the cosmetics shop on the street, the shop owner insisted on giving her a box of lip rouge made from rose juice.
Lanzhi said, "Fifth Miss, the shopkeeper doesn't know you, so why would he give you things on his own initiative?"
Ji Qingwu's eyes flashed, and he said, "If he gives me this box, the customers who come in later can say that I used it, and this lip balm will sell even better."
"Fifth Miss, why did you accept it? Our Ji family is not short of money for a box of lip rouge."
Ji Qingwu said, "Lanzhi, do you think that if I were to take advantage of this small thing, I would gain an unrefined reputation?"
Lanzhi felt that her actions were inappropriate, but she didn't dare to say it so bluntly.
She stammered, "Fifth Miss, you knew all this, so why did you still do it?"
As Lanzhi spoke, she suddenly realized something: "Miss dressed up like this specifically today because..."
Ji Qingwu stuck out his index finger and shushed him.
He nodded and smiled, saying, "That's precisely why I'm being so disrespectful."
"We're going somewhere else tomorrow."
*
The Northern Garrison Command.
Madam Wei sat in the hall, her face thin and her hair full of silver, but her hair was neatly styled and decorated with a few exquisite gold hairpins, exuding a noble air.
In the morning, the daughters-in-law and grandchildren came one after another to pay their respects. The house was quiet for a while after everyone had left.
The air was filled with a pleasant fragrance of spices, and Old Madam Wei was resting with her eyes closed.
The old woman at the door stepped forward quietly and whispered in her ear, "Madam, the general has returned."
Madam Wei opened her eyes, her expression filled with anger.
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