You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Why are they here?

Lu Zuo hesitated for a moment, then stepped to the door and pushed it open.

With a creak, the door opened.

Three beautiful figures stood in the corridor where the moonlight and candlelight inside blended, each meticulously dressed and possessing their own unique charm.

The butterfly, dressed in a light purple dress, breathtakingly accentuated her already slender figure.

Her eyebrows and eyes were exquisitely drawn, with slightly upturned corners and a faint blush. Her gaze was captivating, as if hooked, exuding a lively and outgoing charm.

Her lips were adorned with vibrant rouge, which was now slightly upturned, revealing a sweet smile.

"Greetings, young master."

She leaned down gracefully, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettishness.

The other two also quickly bowed and greeted the young master. Chun Chan and Qiu Yan were both lightly made up, and their clothes were slightly sheer, clearly indicating that they had been carefully made up...

"The three of them, like Ji Yaohua, don't like to dress up."

"Why is it so different tonight...?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Zuo roughly guessed the reason and asked, "Why are you all here?"

Butterfly raised her eyelids, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice soft and sweet: "The night is long, and we servants saw the light on in your room, young master, and thought..."

"Knowing that you, young master, have worked hard all day, you must need someone to serve you tea, make your bed, and fold the blankets..."

"I have dared to come here, hoping to relieve your fatigue, sir."

Chun Chan picked up the conversation, her tone gentle: "Yes, young master works so hard for the country, how can he be left unattended?"

"Though we servants are foolish, we can still manage to serve tea and water, and add fragrance to the room..."

As she spoke, she turned slightly to the side, making her exquisite curves under the thin veil even more pronounced in the candlelight.

These women, including Ji Yaohua, were originally tools and playthings raised by An Shigeng, and were instilled with views different from ordinary women from a young age.

Serving one's master is a matter of course.

However, because of Ji Yaohua, An Shigeng has not touched a single hair on their head so far.

They came to serve Liu Ruyan because they saw how favored she was, hoping to gain her favor and rewards.

"Come in."

Lu stepped aside to let the three women in, then instructed, "Get ready at the table."

……

The next day, early in the morning.

[Missed the morning court session; internal strength +6.]

[Enchanted by beautiful women, internal strength +3.]

[Colluding with the demonic path, Demonic Heart +5.]

[Excessive indulgence, bonus reward: Constitution +25.]

[Leading a rebellion, utterly absurd, Dao Enlightenment +2.]

[Reusing a wicked concubine can bring ruin to a country; calligraphy +10, painting +10, chess +10, musical instrument skills +10.]

"Increasing the base attributes like this is a bit of a waste..."

Looking at the 25 points in physique, Lu Zuo thought to himself, "I need to hurry up and get some new martial arts to practice..."

During this period, he frequently traveled between several worlds and learned a sword technique from Jing Ni. Before long, he mastered it to perfection.

"It will take two more days before we can travel to other worlds again. Let's indulge ourselves for a few days first, and then figure out what to do next."

"Furthermore, the second talent can also be used."

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo stood up and was about to get dressed and go out when the door was pushed open from the outside.

Looking up, I saw Qiuyan carrying a basin of water, Hudie holding a towel, and Chunchan carrying a new set of clothes, walking in with light steps.

"Young master is awake."

Qiu Yan smiled faintly, placed the copper basin on the shelf, then soaked the soft cotton towel in her hand, wrung it out gently, and came to Lu Zuo, gently wiping his cheeks.

Chun Chan then picked up the new clothes, first draping the outer robe over Lu Zuo's shoulders, then walking around to his front, her cool fingers deftly tightening his belt and adjusting his front.

Butterfly knelt lightly at Lu Zuo's feet, picked up his boots and socks, and carefully and considerately put them on him.

Lu Zuo calmly accepted the three women's service. After he was dressed, he said in a deep voice, "I will teach you a martial art later."

Upon hearing this, the three women were overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude.

For them, martial arts skills were secondary; the main thing was to win the favor of their new master so that they could have a good life in the future.

So that Liu Ruyan wouldn't steal the spotlight.

It would be terrible if that vixen tried to suppress me and Sister Yaohua...

Having grown up in the An family, they were already used to the tragic fate of women who were neglected.

Ji Yaohua's words that night instilled a strong sense of crisis in them.

Now that Lu Zuo's words have made his stance clear and proved that his efforts last night were not in vain, how could he not be happy?

As he pondered, Lu Zuo's voice rang in his ears again: "But remember, the martial arts I teach you must not be revealed to anyone."

"Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

what?

Butterfly paused for a moment, then asked, "Young Master, is Sister Yaohua not allowed either?"

"she?"

Lu Zuo pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Her current martial arts skills are sufficient."

"Besides, she's not qualified right now."

Lu Zuo will only help women who can provide him with cultivation to improve their strength.

otherwise……

Why should I teach you martial arts?

……

After breakfast, Lu Zuo began to teach them fire-based Yin-Yang techniques, the Yin-Yang Qi Combination Hand Seal, and the Skull Blood Hand Seal.

And this teaching continued until evening.

Lu Zuo originally planned to continue tormenting the three of them tonight, but then he thought that he hadn't yet achieved his goal of visiting brothels.

He then told them to cultivate diligently at home, while he himself left the Imperial Preceptor's residence to go for a stroll in the red-light district.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Ji Yaohua walking towards me from a distance.

Lu Zuo stopped, glanced at her, and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Young master, I've come to fetch something from Butterfly."

Lu Zuo gave an "oh" and left without looking at the woman again.

"That cold attitude again..."

As Ji Yaohua watched his retreating figure, she sighed inwardly, "Sigh, am I really that unlikable to you?"

In fact, Lu Zuo simply wasn't interested in women who couldn't improve his cultivation, and he was too lazy to say another word to her.

Ji Yaohua was so disappointed because of An Shigeng.

In the past, An Shigeng doted on her, not only treating her with kindness but also giving her small gifts every now and then.

Now that Lu Zuo has taken over as the master, all the previous treatment has disappeared, and it's inevitable to feel a sense of loss...

Shaking her head, Ji Yaohua entered the Imperial Preceptor's residence and learned that Butterfly and the other two were cultivating in the garden. Following the servants' directions, she walked along the pebble path.

As soon as I arrived in the garden, I could hear my three younger sisters talking.

"The Yin-Yang Harmony Seal that Young Master passed on is incredibly exquisite in its method of circulating energy..."

"I have a vague feeling that if we can master it, its power will probably far exceed what we have learned before."

"Given time, he might actually surpass Sister Yaohua's current cultivation level."

The butterfly's song had barely faded when Ji Yaohua heard the clear, melodious voice of a cicada: "Indeed."

"This technique seems to directly target the source of fire, and the surge of qi and blood during cultivation is far superior to the rudimentary techniques passed down by the An family."

"What do you two sisters say..."

"Is it because you practiced this method... that you looked refreshed this morning and were still full of energy..."

"Such...such abundant primordial yang foundation is truly...unheard of."

"What's wrong, Qiuyan? Missing the young master again?"

"Oh, Butterfly, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Did the young master teach them martial arts?

Hearing her three subordinates' playful chatter, Ji Yaohua felt a strange pang of jealousy...

Everyone else benefited, except for me...

As she looked at the indistinct figures in the garden, a feeling of isolation gradually spread through her.

perhaps……

In the eyes of this new master, those who cannot please him are no different from pebbles on the roadside.

"Sister Yaohua, you're here."

The sound of butterflies interrupted Ji Yaohua's thoughts.

She gave a soft "hmm," stepped forward, and said with a smile, "You lot have won the young master's favor."

Upon hearing this, Butterfly's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, and she nodded gently, saying, "Young Master, last night..."

"In short, he has already taught us martial arts today, which means that we are no different from Liu Ruyan in his heart."

"From now on, you won't have to worry about being bullied by that vixen anymore."

Ji Yaohua nodded, then chatted with the others for a few more minutes, inquiring about Lu Zuo's situation.

After learning that he said last night that he was "not qualified," my heart sank even further...

……

Flower Street, Drunken Apricot Pavilion.

Li Shishi sat alone on the edge of the embroidery bed, a plain handkerchief in her hand already soaked with tears.

She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her once aloof and stunning face was now as pale as paper, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

The madam rubbed her hands together and pleaded by the bedside, "My dear Shishi, I know you're wronged. My heart is breaking too!"

"But... but you've seen the state of things right now."

"Who exactly is Lord Wang Fu?"

"The current prime minister!"

"He insisted that our Zui Xing Lou had close financial dealings with the An family and was involved in a treason case..."

"This...this is a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family!"

She leaned closer, her voice urgent and low: "There are hundreds of people in this building, and our lives, too, are now all in your hands!"

"As long as... as long as you can satisfy him, make him happy, and lightly mark a line on the case file, our Zui Xing Lou can get through this crisis."

"Shishi, I know this is asking the impossible, but... but there's really no other way!"

Li Shishi raised her tear-filled eyes, her gaze filled with humiliation and despair, her voice choked with sobs: "I understand the reasoning."

"But just thinking about Wang Fu's old and ugly appearance makes me...."

"This is my first time."

The madam was also helpless and could only sigh repeatedly, "Alas..."

"Just bear with it, for everyone's sake, just endure this for a while..."

Thump!

With a muffled thud, the door was flung open from the outside, and a servant rushed in.

"Embroidery Mama, something terrible has happened!"

"A fight has broken out!"

The madam was taken aback: "What? They're fighting?"

"Downstairs, downstairs!"

"Just now, the guards from Wang Fu's family bullied one of our girls, and a young man beat them up!"

what?

The madam was terrified and hurriedly ran downstairs.

"What a terrible thing! What a terrible thing!"

"Isn't this going to kill us?"

You have received a new chapter update: Chapter 161, "Li Shishi's Charm," here is the reading link.