Chapter 334: Red Dowries (VII)

A inconspicuous and run-down horse carriage stopped at the corner in front of the Liu mansion.

“Hui Niangzi, we have reached the Liu manor. From outside the carriage, the maid’s gentle voice could be heard. It pulled Huijun back from her wandering thoughts.

She pursed her lips, restraining the expression on her face. She showed the seasoned, perfect smile that she had practiced for years. She lowered her body and stepped on the carriage stool to get down.

The manor before her was completely foreign to her. If it had been a few years before, when she was still a humble prostitute that was trampled on by anyone, anyone could have been her husband with only a copper coin. She never imagined that she would enter such a grand manor––or even come close to it… She would have been humiliated and turned away by the servant.

“Hui Niangzi? the maid greeted.

“I am all right. The thought of meeting Langjun soon makes me extremely joyous. Huijun smiled. She pressed down on the heavy curtain, covering her whole face, then put her hand on her maid’s. She let the other party support her to the side door.

She knew she was going to accompany the bride––the daughter of the concubine of Liu manor––in marriage. However, the Liu manor had invested a lot into her over the years. She wore good clothes and ate well; she even had someone teach her how to read and write, and how to critique art and poems. Someone educated her about the customs and the taboo between scholarly people… So, she did not think that her accompanying the bride was solely to win the favor of one’s husband.

She discreetly journeyed to the courtyard. Huijun once again got to meet the second legitimate son of the Liu manor, whom she had an encounter with many years ago.

Jiang Pengji saw Huijun and was stunned for a moment. She had never expected it, but the prostitute she had spent many years teaching was now such an incomparable beauty.

The hair on her temples was black as ink. She had on light makeup, and her jade hairpin accessory moved rhythmically. She was beautiful, as if the monotonous movement was transformed to contain depth. She had an elegant disposition to her movements.

She lost the skinny and pitiful look from the past, her cowardice and meek disposition, and now she was gentle and tranquil, and possessed elegance. Her graceful demeanor was akin to a warm spring when the green willows had just begun to bloom. It was unforgettable.

“A woman undergoes many changes at eighteen years old; this is indeed true. Jiang Pengji looked at Huijun with eyes that admired beauty. The other person was indeed a rare beauty.

Perhaps her beauty could not capture beasts and birds, nor could it exceed the natural world, but it could surely bring about the downfall of a great city.

Huijun tried her best to straighten her posture, displaying all that she had learned.

One couldn’t have been fooled by her calm appearance, as her heart was already pounding. Both her hands dripped with sweat, and her back was dull with hot air. Her breathing sped up somewhat, as if when she saw Jiang Pengji for the first time… even the air became thin.

Huijun leisurely sat down and a perfect smile appeared. She greeted Jiang Pengji with proper standards according to the textbook manner. “Your servant, Huijun, greets Langjun.

“Don’t be so nervous. Jiang Pengji speechlessly lost her laughter. She felt like she was the trainer and Huijun, who stood before her, was the nervous student waiting to be assessed. “You did very well all these years. The promise I made back then is still available.

Huijun discreetly heaved a sigh of relief. She then realized her back was drenched with sweat.

“In that case, can Langjun tell me what he wants Huijun to do now? She looked at Jiang Pengji with her crystal-clear pupils. The last few years may have worn away her timid personality, but when she was before Jiang Pengji, she often felt inferior and wished she could bury herself in a hole so the person before her would not see her again.

Jiang Pengji tapped the table. It sounded exceptionally clear in the hall that was otherwise silent. “Are you willing to become a beauty that brings about misfortune to the country?

A beauty who brings misfortune to the country? Huijun’s heart froze for a moment. Before she came to the Liu manor, she had many thoughts in her head. But no matter how hard she tried to guess, she didn’t manage to determine the truth.

Huijun smiled bitterly. “The women in the world, even they are unclean like me, won’t readily admit that they are less beautiful than others. Only a beauty that brings misfortune to the country… Your servant is somewhat good-looking, but I do not have such confidence to compare myself to the 3,000 beauties in the inner palace.

Jiang Pengji nodded. “That is true.

Huijun was presently very beautiful, but her beauty was still earthly. If one tried hard, it was possible to find a beauty that was comparable.

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When Huijun heard Jiang Pengji’s words, her heart felt like it was pricked by a sharp needle. The pain faintly surfaced on her face.

At her expression, Jiang Pengji said again, “However, I asked whether you are willing to be the beauty who brings misfortune to the country, and not anything else.

Huijun anxiously replied, “Your servant is naturally willing.

Perhaps it was because she had been humiliated in every way ever since she was young, she had always desired for someone to save her and bring her out of the depths of the bitter ocean.

The person before her did it.

That year, she caught the underground gangsters who once bullied her. She then determined in her heart that she would do anything for Jiang Pengji. Even if it was her life, if the person before her mentioned it, she would give without any hesitation.

One had to be content and grateful as a person. Huijun had retained that pure heart. She understood that everyday was stolen after she left the brothel.

There were countless of prostitutes who died pitifully. They were wearing rags before they died, and the passersby who saw the corpses acted ignorant and continued on.

It was exceptional for her. She enjoyed many years, with days filled with riches and splendor, and perhaps even more. Why wasn’t she content?

As her voice faded, she heard the youth before her say, “In that case, I wish you good luck!

Huijun accepted by bowing her head. Jiang Pengji was speechless again.

“It is not easy to be a beauty who brings misfortune to the country. You may even face a scenario where the world hurls insults at you, so you must consider carefully.

Huijun shook her head, saying, “Langjun’s words are incorrect––I will be a beauty who brings misfortune to the country. So what? Isn’t that the most honorable woman on the earth? The best position in the world is to gain anything I want––to live freely and not be trampled upon or humiliated by others. The once high and mighty will have to bow and even break their backbone. From this perspective, how is my life not good? As for the reputation after death, since one has died, who cares if a flood shall occur?

What was it to be insulted by the world?

Throughout history, nobody had the ability to go against a femme fatale.

No matter how one died, in any case, one got to enjoy wealth and splendor while they were alive.

Jiang Pengji choked at Huijun’s words. She never thought those were Huijun’s thoughts.

“It is naturally great that you think like that. Jiang Pengji raised her hands to point at the medicine that was steaming hot on the table. “Drink it.

Huijun stood up and walked two steps. She did not ask what the medicine contained. She raised the bowl, containing the black, bitter, and foul smelling medicine, with her hands. Her slender, white neck looked up, and she gulped the medicine quickly. Jiang Pengji passed her some preserved honey. She readily accepted and took it, then silently sucked it into her mouth.

When the bitter taste dissipated, she then timidly opened her mouth. “Your servant has a request. Will Langjun agree to it?

Just thinking of her request, she felt that her tongue was going to be tied.

“Sure. Jiang Pengji nodded her head in agreement.

“Can Langjun hug your servant? The words slipped from her mouth. Her heart faintly filled with hope and uncertainty.

Jiang Pengji looked at Huijun’s pupils. She understood in her heart, and opened her arms slightly.

Huijun nervously reached out her hands and hugged Jiang Pengji’s waist, leaning on her bosom. Her shy and nervous expression slowly changed to shock, but soon after she calmed down. Her eyes were filled with relief. “Thank––thank you.