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Last night, she was in a daze after drinking the soup; someone must have drugged it. This person was most likely Yan Ping. But could he really guess how he would die in the future?
At the same time, sitting in the study, Yan Ping suddenly sneezed twice. He rubbed his nose and said to Lord Jun, "The list has been prepared. These are the people loyal to you, which can be used when you ascend to the throne."
Feng Lingjun took the bamboo slip but did not rush to look at it. He teased him, "Did someone curse you?"
Yan Ping was puzzled. Feng Lingjun smiled, "When you think too much, you often sneeze just twice."
He had indeed offended too many people recently and sighed, "As long as you don't curse me, Lord Jun, that's fine."
Feng Lingjun's smile grew wider. Not cursing him? That would be strange. There were indeed people with the ability to make the servants hate him while being helpless against him.
At this moment, San Chun cursed several times outside the door, feeling her throat a bit dry before returning to freshen up.
She also felt that her earlier demeanor was unflattering; her actions resembled those of a shrew on the street. But what could she do? Some people could turn good individuals into villains and ladies into ruffians. If she could remain elegant and gracious around Yan Ping, that would truly be rare.
She poured herself a cup of water to moisten her throat. At that moment, a maid entered with a tray and smiled upon seeing her awake. "Miss, eat something first; later, Artist will come to paint your portrait."
Inviting an Artist to paint a portrait was indeed a good idea that must have come from Yan Ping, charging three thousand taels of gold for it; he should offer some suggestions.
After asking the maid, it turned out that Yan Ping had instructed them to find the Artist.
As she ate the porridge that had been cooked until soft, she pretended to suddenly remember and asked, "The pig trotter soup last night was delicious; I wonder which chef made it. Is there any left?"
The maid replied with a smile, "There is indeed more soup; Doctor Yan instructed that it should be simmered for you every night."
She sneered coldly, "With added ingredients, right?"
The maid was taken aback and seeing her expression change hurriedly knelt down. "Please don't blame me, Miss; this is Doctor Yan's intention; I know nothing about it."
San Chun naturally knew she was just following orders, but the fire in her heart couldn't be suppressed. Three Corpse God was furious, Five Spirits soared with anger, and her temples burned while smoke billowed from her seven orifices...
Looking out the window, she saw countless warriors standing outside, many of whom she had known during her time as a warrior. Cheng Ming spotted her and waved.
In this situation, if an uninformed person were to see her, they would never guess that she was a prisoner.
Seeing Cheng Ming, she couldn't help but recall their previous conversation.
On that day, he had deliberately walked up to her and said, "Actually... not every woman is fortunate enough to attach herself to a noble."
At that time, his expression was very sincere; he must have wanted to advise her like this for a long time. This was merely telling her to be quiet and obedient, to be a piece on the chessboard that Lord could trust, which would benefit both of them. But men will always be men; they will never understand a woman's thoughts.
Did he think sending her to a powerful man was a good thing? She was a person, not a commodity. If there wasn't a man who truly loved her, she certainly wouldn't marry. Moreover, this wasn't even "marriage," but "concubinage." Which noble would take someone like her, a country girl, as a legitimate wife? Or perhaps it wasn't even "concubinage," but merely being someone else's pet.
With a deep sigh, she closed the window, cutting off their gaze. With this one window between them, they had already become people from two different worlds.
...It’s better to be a man!
§
Feng Lingjun had planned well; she wanted to hold an extraordinary beauty appreciation event in Ying City.
After lunch, the Artists arrived—six renowned Artists from various countries, all twelve eyes fixed on her. A maid came over to help her pose, making her kneel on a soft cushion with a delicate flower held against her cheek and her left hand forming an orchid gesture, which made her look charming. However, she found this pose utterly disgusting.
Perhaps it was because she had drunk spiced soup last night; she still felt dizzy now and thought the delicate flower did not suit her at all. Instead, it resembled a frostbitten eggplant next to the flower.
She had taken too much of the mind-altering drug before; now her head wasn't particularly clear. If she became truly foolish, these shameless men would bully her even more.
As she sighed deeply, she suddenly heard one of the Artists say, "Miss, don't make such a bitter face."
She bared her teeth in a grin, not showing a bitter face, so don’t give her bitter melon.
Fortunately, the medicine this time wasn’t too much; at most, she would just feel a bit sluggish, and after today, it would be fine. However, the paintings created in such a mental state were not something to be praised.
San Chun took a glance and couldn’t help but chuckle; the saying "a tiger drawn poorly resembles a cat" perfectly described this situation. The person in the painting resembled her in appearance but completely lacked her spirit; at best, she could only be considered a soulless beauty.
She was quite pleased with this and wondered if such paintings would attract those Noble Dragons.
That was what she thought, but who knew that these days the Noble Dragons had poor taste as well? Just these few shabby paintings actually attracted nobles from several countries: Qi Country Young Master, King Qi of Yan, Crown Prince of Qin, Lord Jun of Wei Kingdom, Zhao Country Prince, along with several young masters from Chu Country—over a dozen in total. She was greatly astonished; these people must have been blind.
Early in the morning, two maidservants helped her get ready, applying a thick layer of white powder on her face, making her look like a peeled egg that had fallen into a pile of flour and rolled around before getting up again.
She wore a white dress with a long skirt that had a layer of sheer fabric fluttering in the wind. The hem rose and fell, completely hiding her delicate embroidered shoes. Her jet-black hair flowed down, reflecting sunlight with a bright sheen; paired with her white face, she looked absolutely stunning—much prettier than a zombie crawling out of a tomb.
San Chun stared at herself in the bronze mirror for quite some time, doubting the aesthetic standards of the people from Chu Country; it was indeed rare to see makeup done like this.
She felt that the makeup was still not striking enough and added two circles of blush to her cheeks. Now it was better; she no longer resembled a zombie but rather looked like two Peaches of Longevity or just slightly better than Monkey Butt.
After adjusting her clothes and feeling extremely satisfied with her appearance, she waited for Feng Lingjun's people to come and announce her. She began to ponder what kind of performance would be good later on.
She couldn’t make too big of a fool of herself and ruin Feng Lingjun’s event, nor could she perform too well and attract attention; finding the right balance was indeed tricky.
*
At Fengling Jun's Residence, there was a grand banquet attended by nobles from several countries. Since it was an appreciation event for beauty, naturally beautiful companions were indispensable. Almost every guest brought one or two beauties along.
These nobles usually had nothing to do and wanted to show off their beauties to demonstrate how outstanding their own country's women were. This mentality was akin to having hidden treasures at home and wanting to flaunt them.
The Crown Prince of Qin brought along a voluptuous Black Beauty with an athletic build; she was tall and graceful, with high breasts resembling two hills. The beauties from Qi State were known for their elegance; the Qi Country Young Master brought along a true noble girl—a dignified and graceful lady whose demeanor was poised and elegant. The beauty from Zhao Country's Handan also had her own charm; she was petite and exquisite with an icy beauty, her eyes like deep pools of jade, and her fair skin as delicate as carved ivory.
A group of men met, and their conversation inevitably revolved around beautiful women, but the most discussed beauty was none other than Feng Lingjun.
Feng Lingjun was known for his charm and elegance, and all the beauties he had associated with were stunningly beautiful. He understood women better than anyone; beauties were like rare horses that needed a discerning eye to be recognized. Just like the Shang Family, who were once mere dancers but gained their current status thanks to Feng Lingjun's favor.
The Crown Prince of Qin asked Qi Country Young Master Qianqing, "Have you seen this beauty?"
"No."
"Do you think she is truly beautiful?"
The Qi Country Young Master was quite honest, "She isn't particularly beautiful; she just doesn't look ugly." He was referring to a portrait.
The Crown Prince of Qin was surprised, "Then how did you come here?"
"I followed others here," he said with a naive smile, causing those nearby to secretly think, "So he is just someone without opinions."
In fact, he wasn't the only one following the crowd; many people here weren't specifically drawn by the beauty. They simply heard that Feng Lingjun was hosting a gathering, and those who usually entertained themselves with trivial pursuits thought it would be better to join in the fun since they had nothing else to do. The Qi Country Young Master Qianqing was one of them; he didn't care whether the beauty was beautiful or not, as long as there was good wine.
Chengyang Jun sat at the upper right side, eagerly drinking but showing little interest in anything else. However, the unease in his eyes betrayed his thoughts.
He had come today for the person in the painting. Feng Lingjun had long discussed sending her to him, but the price demanded was so high that it seemed absurd to even consider it.
He didn't want a substitute at all, which was why he had refused Feng Lingjun several times.
He understood Feng Lingjun's intentions too well; helping him would also benefit Wei Kingdom. However, he had always been unwilling to be manipulated by others, especially when that person was used as leverage against him. So no matter how much the person he saw later resembled her, he wouldn't pay such a price unless it was truly her.
But… for some reason, he had recently felt that she was not dead. Ever since they were at Horse Riding Slope, he had this feeling, which intensified later when San Chun and that "Spring" Centurion appeared. Sometimes he even suspected that those two were her, deliberately disguising themselves in front of him.
Did she still hate him?
The thought flashed through her mind, causing the wine goblet in her hand to sway. Fortunately, there was no wine there...
Although her chances of being alive were almost zero, once this thought appeared, it was like planting a seed in her heart that began to grow wildly at the slightest breeze.
If she were alive, would she still hate him?
...
She would surely hate him, especially in front of this Hate People.
Glancing at Ji Xun sitting beside her, he appeared surprisingly relaxed and carefree, as if today’s events had nothing to do with him.
If it truly had nothing to do with him, that would be fine. He smiled slightly and raised his cup to Ji Xun, saying, "Your Highness, a toast."
Ji Xun raised his goblet in return and then drank from it, giving him a smile.
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