Li Shengan, standing behind them, was frantic! His Majesty usually found the consorts and ladies of the court so displeasing that he wouldn’t even want to get near them, let alone a group like this. If His Majesty sobered up and realized they had touched his body, heavens, people would die!
Li Shengan quickly stepped forward to block the group of women.
"You lot, take a few steps back!"
The group of women was startled. What were they to do? A man with a harsh, squawking voice had suddenly appeared. He looked presentable enough, but carried himself like a servant! Hmph! How dare he interfere with our earnings! Really!
The leading woman smiled.
"Oh, my dear sir!"
"Why are you stopping us? Third Master Huang is still waiting for us sisters to serve him!"
After saying that, she lightly raised her hand, ready to push Li Shengan aside.
Li Shengan stood his ground firmly, not budging. Was she kidding? He wasn’t made of paper.
The group of women then started to mock him.
"Oh my... young sir, why don’t you have a beard!"
"You, young sir, look like a mere attendant. How dare you meddle in your master’s affairs?"
Other women began to repeatedly cast flirtatious glances at Third Master Huang and Young Master Xia.
"Young Master Xia, this humble one has missed you terribly, keeping the bed warm alone all this time!"
"Third Master Huang! You are so handsome and debonair; this humble one wishes to share a few drinks with you!"
Their voices were so seductively enchanting they could make an ordinary man lose all control.
Zhao Junyao, however... ahem!
His eyes crinkled with amusement as he drank a cup of wine and then said with a laugh, "This Third Master particularly loves beauties who can dance well. Whoever dances the best... will be the one to serve this master tonight!"
When the women heard this, their eyes lit up. Dance? Dance well and get to serve Third Master Huang? The handsome and powerful Third Master Huang? What a colossal temptation!
"I can dance! Third Master, I can dance!"
"Me too, me too!"
"Hey, hey, what are you all fighting about? My dancing is the most beautiful; the madam even praised me last time!"
"All of you, step aside and let me!"
Not far away, Zhao Junyao, with narrowed eyes, grinned like an old fox.
After a good while, watching the crowd of women vying and competing to perform, Zhao Junyao suddenly spoke again.
"All of you dance together. This master will know who dances best!"
The women dared not argue anymore. Some were beaming with excitement, while others seemed a bit deflated.
Zhao Junyao, however, was quite pleased. Having been feeling dejected after being ignored by his beloved woman—his pride and satisfaction, and even that slight sense of inadequacy, were finally soothed by this group of women.
Xia Tingfeng had also noticed. The Emperor... he’s not himself today. He seems to particularly enjoy the sensation of others competing for his favor, fighting tooth and nail for him. But in the past, the Emperor wasn’t like this at all! In the past, the Emperor would have felt sullied by even a distant glance at these women, wouldn’t he! Right. What the Emperor said earlier, about having someone serve him—was it true or false? Could it be that the consorts in the Harem... still aren’t enough? Uh...
As he was thinking, the musicians began to play, and the courtesans, one by one, began to dance gracefully, their long flowing sleeves fluttering as they sang softly.
Zhao Junyao drank a few more cups, watching with narrowed eyes.
Inwardly, he was very pleased. See? Apart from Qingqing, there were still so many women vying desperately for him! His vanity as a man, as an emperor, was finally gratified.
「When the dance ended.」
The dancing women were panting heavily.
Everyone stopped and looked at him expectantly.
"My lord... who danced well?"
"Yes, Third Master, was it this humble one?"
"Nonsense, it was clearly me!"
The group of women started quarreling again.
Zhao Junyao narrowed his eyes and, to everyone’s disbelief, chose... the most garish, the smoothest-talking, and seemingly the most worldly-wise woman among them.
"You!"
The one he pointed to was named Tao Hua.
Well, this woman was dressed in flashy reds and greens, her makeup outrageously heavy. She wasn’t attractive either; her lips were overly thick, and her eyes too small. But... her small eyes gleamed with utter shrewdness and cunning. Despite her lack of conventional beauty, she was brimming with inexhaustible tricks and skills. She was not one bit inferior to those supposedly ’virtuous’ girls! She was just as capable as the scores of beautiful women at charming the patrons, making them utterly devoted! She could make all sorts of young noblemen and wealthy masters willingly lavish their silver on her.
There were even a few occasions when some profligate young masters had wept and shamelessly pestered to buy her freedom and take her home as a concubine.
Being bought out of servitude was a dream that countless brothel women could never achieve in their entire lives.
Yet Tao Hua, who wasn’t particularly attractive, had strangely received such opportunities multiple times.
It truly made others envious! This time, just like those other times, genuinely made everyone jealous!
The remaining women could only watch with wide eyes as Tao Hua, with a soft, alluring demeanor, walked past them, her face beaming with triumph!