7

Before I could even think of an excuse, Xue Lian grabbed my wrist and yanked me back down the corridor. We weaved through servants and drunk officials, past the golden pillars and silk curtains, until she pushed open a heavy side door.

The room was nothing short of a brothel's forbidden closet. Silk, lace, and velvet hung from every inch of the walls. My eyes roamed greedily, helplessly, over the racks.

From robes ranging to those wig low V line that showed one's cleavage, to high slitted dresses that went as high up to one's honey's pot. There were translucent silks so sheer you could see the pink tips of nipples through them with just one glance. Blood-red corsets cinched tight enough to carve out a desperate, helpless curve of the waist. Thin gold chains dripped from the hips of some dresses, meant to draw attention to the softest, most secret parts of a woman's body.

And then there were the veils — gossamer-thin, glittering with tiny jade stones — meant to be draped over the face but still leave the mouth bare, a promise of mystery and the threat of pleasure.

Xue Lian kicked the door shut behind us with a loud, hollow boom that rattled the air.

She tossed me a robe — scarlet silk with silver embroidery snaking down the front — but it was so light and sheer it may as well have been a spider's web. The deep plunge in the chest promised to frame every curve of my breasts like a prize offering, and the slit on the side nearly ran all the way to my hipbone, offering shameless glimpses of thigh with every step.

"Pick the most seductive one," Xue Lian said, arms crossed, smirking like the devil himself had taught her the game.

"Tonight's lesson is Seduction and Lust, 1.01. If you can get Minister Yao —" she jerked her chin at me, eyes gleaming — "into your bed and under your thumb, you might just survive this nest of vipers. But," she smiled darkly, "one wrong move... and you'll be just another forgotten slut rotting in the palace gardens."

I stared at her, aghast.

"You want me to sleep with him? Like... literally?" My voice broke into a whisper, thick with disbelief.

Xue Lian shrugged like it was no more important than choosing a fruit from the market.

"Minister Yao's weakness is women. Anything with soft skin and a skirt is his undoing. His poor, blind wife doesn't know he keeps twenty concubines tucked into the back halls of the capital. You?"

She stepped closer, her fingers grazing my collarbone as she straightened the flimsy robe against my body.

"You'll be his favorite tonight."

She gave a wolfish grin, then plucked a sliver of silver-threaded veil from a nearby rack and tossed it at me.

"Here," she said. "The red-silvery robe will fit you better. Enough to make a saint weep... and a monster like Yao beg to die between your thighs."

The moment my fingers brushed the red-silver robe, a shiver ran up my arms.

The silk was soft — molten against my skin — like it was made for sinning. I slipped my arms into the sleeves, and the fabric slid up over my bare skin, hugging the curve of my shoulders and draping down over my breasts like a lover's hands.

The deep V neckline plunged deeper, parting my breasts until the soft mounds pushed against the cool air. My nipples hardened almost immediately.

The slit up the side of the robe exposed nearly the whole length of my leg. When I moved even slightly, the silk parted easily, flashing the creamy inside of my thigh, and higher.

My thighs brushed together, already damp from the humid heat the room seemed to breed. It felt almost like being touched — slow, relentless, unbearable.

I wore on the veil, tying it lightly over my face, leaving my lips naked and visible — lush, painted slightly from the wine earlier, soft and begging.

The veil barely hid anything. If anything, it only made me look... hungrier.

Xue Lian stood back, arms folded, her tongue sliding slowly across her bottom lip as she admired her handiwork.

"Good," she breathed.

"You look like the kind of dream even gods would damn themselves for. Tonight's game is called Seduction and Lust 1.01."

"If you can succeed in getting Minister Zhou Cheng—" she drawled the name with a curl of her lip, "—into your bed and onto your side, then maybe, just maybe, you'll top the charts easily. But."

She tilted her head, her voice dropping like a guillotine.

"Get on his wrong side, and you won't even live long enough to regret it."

I turned to her sharply, my stomach churning.

"You want me to sleep with them?"

My voice cracked between disbelief and disgust. "Like literally?"

Xue Lian laughed — not kindly, not cruelly, just the laugh of someone who had long stopped pretending the world was fair.

"Zhou Cheng's weakness is women," she said.

"Anything that wears a skirt automatically becomes his favorite. He has about twenty concubines that his legal wife doesn't even know about. His latest little pet ran off last week — poisoned, poor thing. And since his favorite slut isn't around to stir his old blood tonight..."

"And I am his bait, what a lovely surprise." I pulled the slit lower, adjusting it to my knees and pulled he veil against my face. "Let's get this over with!"

I stumbled outside the room, gracefully carrying the dress up the stairs.

"Hey, you are late! Why the hell are you still getting dressed when your mates are up there making money for the motel!" A voice called out from the shadows, breaking Lin Xi's reverie.

She looked over, startled, to see one of the other courtesans, Mei Lan, leaning against the wooden doorframe, arms crossed. Mei Lan's sharp eyes narrowed as she took in Lin Xi's attire, her lips curling into a half-smile.

"Ah, I see. You're dressing for more than just a night of entertainment, aren't you?" Mei Lan's tone was teasing, yet there was an edge to it that made Lin Xi pause.

Before Lin Xi could respond, a figure appeared behind Mei Lan — a woman whose presence alone made the air in the corridor feel heavier. She was dressed in a tailored dark red robe, embroidered with intricate gold patterns that seemed to shimmer under the flickering lantern light. Her raven-black hair was styled in an elegant updo, and her eyes held a knowing gleam that made Lin Xi feel small in comparison.

"Mei Lan, leave her be," the woman said softly, her voice smooth and commanding. There was no mistaking the authority in her tone. "You must be Jia Lin? The one Lady Shen Chua recommended to us, aren't you?"

Her surreal eyes fell on me and I blinked, confusion written on my face but still didn't show it. From behind, Xue Lian appeared tapping my shoulders softly.

"Jia Lin is the infamous seductress known in this dynasty. Every man would die to have her between their thighs. Her beauty is so out of earth and her charm unbeaten. She has been crowned the most beautiful slut in the motel and Lotus bloom Hood motel has made billions of Yuan just from her alone. Tonight, you are her! Without that name, no man would even think twice of looking at you!"

It was then I understood why Xue Lian was keen on picking this dress I am on. They belonged to no other than Jia Lin herself. Immediately, I fell into role, smiling at Madam Wu.

"I needed some seconds to pull myself together. After all, I'm always nervous to meet my previous client." My voice smitten that no one could ever find out I wasn't Jia Lin.

With a satisfied grin, Madam Wu pulled me into the chamber, taking me to the stage. "Do well and bring me more customer. Remember you owe me your life!" With a deadly snare, she fixed her lotus white skin into a friendly gaze and came down from the stage.

Anxiously, my gaze skimmed through the room everyone lustfully gazing at my thigh. A clap from Madam Wu silenced the room filled with hungry snakes waiting to chew on their preys. "Men of honors, as usual in celebration of the emperor's birthday. Every year, Lotus Bloom Hood Motel will be satisfying your pleasure with our slutty dancers. And tonight, you are in for a trip!"

Her smirk went deep into her skin as she picked up a girl from behind the stage, tearing off the clothing that had her cleavage covered and turned her to the vulture roaring men. " Yao Tao, a sweet, smitten virgin going for the price of ten thousand Yuan!"

The men in the room erupted into excited murmurs, but Madam Wu was not finished. She raised her hand, silencing them all. "Every beauty here has been trained to satisfy your needs and wants. You must know by now that our motel serves the finest in pleasure. There is no other establishment like it."

Her eyes swept the room, meeting each man's gaze with a curled lips. "Tonight, you are in for a rare treat. Yao Tao is just one example of what we offer. But I assure you, this is merely the beginning."

"Ten thousand Yuan? Ridiculous." His eyes slid over Yao Tao with a dismissive sneer. "She isn't worth that much. After all, it's only her virginity you're selling, isn't it? And I can bet she doesn't turn men on."

A hushed silence fell on the room and everyone's gaze had fallen on the man who dared to bargain cheaply with Madam Wu's beauties. "Minsiter Wang, you are one of our prestigious clients, don't you think every beauty I bring on stage has the capacity of making you squirt?"

"But, as you say, if you feel Yao Tao is not worth the price, then I shall gladly accept your bid. For I can assure you, there is no beauty here who would be considered 'less' in this establishment."

Minister Wang, undeterred, smirked, clearly confident in his position. "I know my worth, Madam Wu," he said, his voice cold. "And I have seen many women far more alluring than this one. What does she even have to offer beyond her virginity?" He sneered again, clearly believing he had the upper hand.

"Fair well, Minister Wang!"