Chapter 1000 – War at the Northern Border (Thirty-Seven)
After much persuasion, Aunt Die was finally sent away, and Liu Zhao let out a sigh of relief, his head throbbing from all the marriage pressure.
But he didn’t stay happy for long before another issue landed on him.
This started with Liu Zhao’s gang of rascals—
As a young man with thick thighs, Liu Zhao, the bastard son, was living large in Chongzhou.
Whenever there was something fun or tasty, everyone remembered to include him; he was the star of the banquets, always showing up wherever fine wine and delicacies were served.
One day, he was out and about as usual.
The invitation came from some gentry in Chongzhou, part of his Eldest Sister’s faction.
Naturally, Liu Zhao couldn’t refuse; not only did he have to go, but he had to dress up to the nines. Looking sharp and polished, adorned with priceless jade, draped in luxurious silks, carrying his favorite fan and donned with an exquisite jade crown, he fluttered out like a flamboyant butterfly.
As soon as he arrived, Liu Zhao was surrounded by people.
These days, the delinquents in Chongzhou all looked up to him.
So what if he was a bastard?
Liu Zhao knew well that his stature as a bastard was greater than that of many legitimate sons.
Several people approached him, chatting him up; even if they were cursing in their hearts, they had to speak sweetly to him.
This was the sweet life of having thick thighs.
Liu Zhao took his seat at the banquet, and a few close rascals came up to chat with him, laughter filling the air.
Just then, the sound of silk and bamboo instruments filled the room, and a row of beautiful women dressed in light fabrics floated in, their sheer veils flapping in the flowery breeze. Each one exuded exotic charm, slender yet curvy, their figures so hot that a scholarly old man would certainly mutter about moral decay, but for these pleasure-seeking young men, they were a sight to behold—an absolute must-see!
With a sly grin, one rascal suggested, “Zhao bro, if you like one, I can send her to your room!”
Liu Zhao’s infatuated gaze cleared up as he replied nonchalantly, “That won’t do, my father and sister keep a close eye on me; at such a young age, I can’t go fooling around with women. If I accidentally leak my essence on some woman, they’ll beat me to death—my life is at stake!”
The rascals chuckled, not saying a word, and continued to eat, drink, and have fun.
Liu Zhao also knocked back quite a bit of clear wine, and with the maidservant’s help, headed to the usual napping room.
As soon as he lay down, his hand touched a warm, delicate skin, startling him and wiping away his tipsiness as he flung the covers aside.
He shouldn’t have looked; once he did, his complexion changed.
There lay a completely bare woman on the bed, her honey-colored skin smooth and elastic.
Even with just a glance, he could tell she had a fantastic figure.
Perfectly rounded where it mattered, with no excess flesh in sight, her slim waist was utterly desirable.
“Don’t look! Don’t look!” Liu Zhao raised one hand to cover his eyes, while waving the other at the woman, “Get out, get out! Who told you to lie here? Put your clothes on and leave this place quickly. Old witch, you think an old cow can still eat tender grass?”
Liu Zhao was a good four years younger than Jiang Pengji and was only fifteen or sixteen.
He was still young, maturing quietly, determined not to be reckless.
Just as the woman was about to strike a sultry pose, she froze at Liu Zhao’s words, her pretty face darkening.
She got off the bed, and Liu Zhao secretly let out a sigh of relief.
However, before he could completely relax, the unfamiliar warmth coiled around him like a water snake, wrapping around his neck.
The woman’s fragrance wafted into his nose, startling Liu Zhao to push her away.
“Do you have no shame?” Liu Zhao said, “When I say leave, you should leave!”
On the surface, Liu Zhao looked unfazed, but inside, he was jittery.
He understood his group of rascals; they wouldn’t go against his wishes without reason.
Unless—
Liu Zhao’s heart turned cold, although he didn’t show it.
The unclad woman let out a delicate laugh and tried to lean closer.
Liu Zhao dodged a couple of times, only to be shamelessly pinned back onto the bed by her—
When it comes time to use the book smarts, you realize how insufficient you are; you don’t know the difficulty until you experience it yourself.
So what if he read books?
If only he had practiced more horsemanship and archery and worked on his physique, he wouldn’t be struggling to break free from a mere woman now.
“Hold on—don’t take off my clothes, are you even a woman?”
Liu Zhao struggled, but the woman laughed, “Are you even a man?”
If another person had such a beautiful woman sticking to them, they would have long tangled up together. Yet here was this guy looking like he might cry?
She paused slightly, and Liu Zhao immediately saw his chance to push her away and shouted to the outside—
“Help! Someone is trying to take advantage of me!”
His call for help proved effective, and soon someone rushed in, rescuing the miserable Liu Zhao from his predicament.
Everyone looked on, utterly speechless.
Who was taking advantage of who?
Liu Zhao’s cowardly appearance left everyone tongue-tied; a woman practically delivered to him, and he didn’t even take a bite?
Could it be that Liu Zhao’s family teachings were so strict that Liu Zhi and Liu Xi kept him in check, urging him to maintain his chaste status?
But Liu Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the blessing of a beauty was not something to be taken lightly!
“Investigate thoroughly—find out who sent this woman!”
Liu Zhao’s face flushed red; his hands trembled as he fixed his clothes, clearly furious.
The others exchanged glances, finding it all rather dull.
It was just a woman; he acted like someone tried to assault him—he hadn’t even gone all the way!
Liu Zhao didn’t care; the woman was detained for questioning, and his subordinates already began to investigate.
The final results left Liu Zhao feeling chilly inside.
On the surface, the woman was nothing more than a dancer kept by the gentry of Chongzhou.
Sweetly named a dancer, bluntly put, she was merely a tool for relief.
Dancing for the master when there was nothing to do, warming the bed when necessary.
Upon deeper investigation, the woman’s background made Liu Zhao cautious.
She had originally been kept by one of Chongzhou’s great clans, which coincidentally was the clan his Eldest Sister had dealt with harshly before.
Strip away that connection, and the woman also had ties to the Northern Border—
That was something to keep an eye on.
Liu Zhao pondered, and his rascal friends chimed in, “Zhao bro, it’s just a woman; it shouldn’t be that serious—”
Liu Zhao retorted, “Why shouldn’t it be serious? This woman has a questionable background!”
His friends jumped up, stunned, “H-Her background? She’s someone I specially bought!”
Originally planning to please Liu Zhao, they ended up stepping on a landmine.
Had they known Liu Zhao didn’t like women, they could have found a man instead.
Liu Zhao arrived with joy but left in a rage, taking that woman with him.
“Now tell me—who sent you?” Liu Zhao demanded.
The woman blinked, sweetly retorting, “Didn’t I just answer that?”
“Speak the truth—I know you’re trying to fool me!”
Liu Zhao remembered the scene in the room and felt his liver quiver in anger.
As a man, he nearly fell victim to a woman!
“Which dancer possesses such strength and has learned advanced martial arts?”
Had it not been for that, he wouldn’t have been desperate enough to call for help.
His reputation? Completely shattered all over Chongzhou!
