mynovelweb Chapter 41 Revlon
Chapter 41 Revlon
"Let's get rid of this troublemaker before the eldest son returns."
"Why is that? Is she a wanted criminal?"
"No, but she is the most beautiful courtesan at the Inviting Moon Pavilion. Does Sanlang know what the Inviting Moon Pavilion is?"
Shen Qing rolled her eyes. What kind of place could a courtesan be?
"A dance hall? Or a brothel?"
"..." Du Zhong paused for a moment, "Sanlang is truly knowledgeable."
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Shen Qing said earnestly. “Could they have willingly chosen to live in prostitution? How can you discriminate against them because of that?”
"...She really brought this on herself." Du Zhong heard the name from the burly men who chased Lu Huanong, and when he returned, he asked the postmaster about her. He learned that this woman was a well-known and influential figure in Qidu.
"Huh?" Shen Qing thought of the melodramatic plots in movies and TV dramas, and suddenly clenched her fist. "I know, it must be that a powerful person took a fancy to her and wanted to force her to become a concubine. She refused to comply even at the cost of her life, and the powerful person, in a fit of rage, forced her to choose between being a prostitute and becoming a concubine."
"..." You must tell the eldest son that he can no longer let the third daughter go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling.
Du Zhong mysteriously led Shen Qing away from the room. After looking around and seeing that no one was passing by, he lowered his voice and said, "This girl's original name was Bai Lu. Her family was wealthy merchants. She was born with a beautiful face. Her father originally wanted to send her to the palace to be selected as a concubine, but she insisted on marrying a poor scholar."
"So, Bai's father broke up the couple?" Shen Qing knew that a poor family was a once-wealthy but now declining family.
Du Zhong shook his head and continued, "Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Although the Yuan family has declined, its foundation remains. Although the Bai family is wealthy, its status is not high. Since the two are in love, we decided to get engaged directly."
"..." How surprisingly understanding.
"After the two families got engaged, the Bai family spent money to help the Yuan family's son get a sixth-rank official position through a recommendation process."
"The corrupt system of selecting officials is awful," Shen Qing sighed, then realized, "The Yuan family looked down on the Bai family after they rose to prominence, and then broke off the engagement, is that right?"
Du Zhong shook his head again and said, "Young Master Yuan came to discuss the wedding date as promised, but Bai Lu, being fickle, has hooked up with the heir of the Marquis of Dingbei."
"...It's perfectly normal for someone to admire Miss Bai's talent and beauty."
“Sanlang,” Du Zhong emphasized again, “it was Bailu who let down the young master of the Yuan family!”
"There are some things that can't be helped," Shen Qing said wistfully.
"...Young Master Yuan went to demand an explanation. The specific details are unknown, but the result was that he lost his newly acquired official position. He went to a tavern to drown his sorrows and fell and crippled his leg on his way home. Subsequently, the Bai family took advantage of his misfortune and broke off the engagement. Young Master Yuan is now living in a daze and has become a completely useless person."
"Ah!?" That's terrible, but it must have been done by a love rival.
"The heir of the Marquis of Dingbei thought he could finally win the heart of the beauty, but who knew that Bailu..." Du Zhong felt he couldn't let such vulgar language offend the young lady's ears, so he carefully chose his words and continued, "shamelessly juggling ten men at once!"
“She must have been wronged,” Shen Qing replied with absolute certainty.
"Caught red-handed, several sons of powerful and wealthy families confronted each other in court, each producing tokens of their correspondence."
Wow! She has the style of his ex-girlfriend, the Queen of the Sea. Shen Qing wants to say, what did Revlon do wrong? She just made a mistake that all women in the world would make.
But he couldn't. Times had changed. If he dared to say such unorthodox things, Shen Che wouldn't let him off the hook.
"Ahem~ And then? What does this have to do with her entering the Invitation Moon Pavilion?"
Du Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "Where else would you send such a promiscuous woman if not to Yaoyue Tower?"
Shen Qing asked doubtfully, "Having multiple relationships is a matter of personal conduct, but she is still a respectable woman."
"This scandalous affair even involved the Prime Minister, the General, and the Prince... In order to be fair, Emperor Qi directly exiled her to the Inviting Moon Pavilion. Anyone who still can't bear to part with her can go and patronize her business."
"..." Emperor Qi was quite a genius.
It is worth mentioning that Yaoyuelou was a state-run brothel, where the families of convicted officials were all located. It was named Yaoyuelou because the bright moon in the sky had fallen to earth in the past.
Emperor Qi's actions offended no one and even generated revenue for the national treasury. One would have thought he would at least be tempted by a beautiful woman, but it turns out that those who can become emperors are indeed not simple.
"Since entering the Inviting Moon Pavilion, Bai Lu has become even more unscrupulous. Half of the powerful and wealthy in the entire Qidu are her lovers, and she has intricate connections with the other half as well. She has bewitched countless men, causing them to fall out with their families, resulting in marital discord, father-son estrangement, and brothers fighting amongst themselves."
"..." That's a lot of information!
"Sanlang understands now. We mustn't get involved with such a troublemaker. We need to get rid of her before the eldest son returns!"
Oh, I'm afraid Shen Che might not be able to control himself either.
“But it’s too dangerous to send her away now, she’s a weak woman. Didn’t you hear that Princess Jiahe wants to disfigure her face? That’s her livelihood.”
"Does Sanlang know why Princess Jiahe painted Bailu's face?"
"It's because of jealousy. They can't control their own men, so they pick on the weak."
“Heh~” Du Zhong scoffed, “The last person to sympathize with Bai Lu was Princess Jiahe. She kindly hid her in her home, and in half a day she hooked up with the prince consort.”
"Ah, this..." Shen Qing was speechless for a moment, but still believed that it was best not to comment without knowing the whole story, and that following the crowd would inevitably lead to exaggeration and distortion. The truth still needed to be verified.
"Furthermore, how long can Sanlang protect her? Yaoyue Tower cannot redeem her, and harboring her would be a violation of the laws of Qi Kingdom."
Oh right~ Revlon is also considered a national asset.
"Let me think of a more comprehensive plan."
Shen Qing stroked his chin and reviewed the story he had just heard. Although from his perspective as a playboy, Lu Huanong was just a little fickle. With her face, she would be missing out if she didn't date a few more.
However, in this era, her actions were indeed unconventional and incomprehensible, not in line with current values. In fact, they would be shocking in any era, but Shen Qing had no right to criticize her.
Shen Qing even assumed that she was also a time traveler, but even the most promiscuous time traveler isn't a fool. Instead of living a good life, she ruined her reputation and showed no restraint, never stopping on her path of seducing men.
If you say she's picky, it seems like she'd go with anyone; if you say she's not picky, she's surrounded by the powerful and wealthy...
Wait a minute! What's with this strong sense of déjà vu?
Revlon's actions seem to be forcing her to complete a conquest mission. Could it be that she also has a conquest system for charming everyone?
"System!"
"Tongzi, come out here quickly!"
Shen Qing frantically called out to the system in his mind, but this time the system ignored him, remaining silent and unresponsive as if it had never existed. Shen Qing felt inexplicably panicked, as this had never happened before.
Tier restraint?
No no no no!
Was Revlon's approach to him accidental or intentional?
The thought sent a chill down Shen Qing's spine and made his hair stand on end.
Swallowing hard, she mustered her courage and returned to her room as if nothing had happened.
When Shen Qing saw Lu Huanong giving him a shy smile again, he was no longer amazed. Instead, he felt a sense of dread, like when he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and found a large red embroidered shoe on the bedside table.