In the palace, in the study.
Nangong Huoyue, wearing a fiery red dress, was sitting quietly in front of the eucalyptus table, practicing calligraphy.
Her long black hair draped lazily around her waist.
The tall and graceful figure was faintly visible under the loose long skirt; under the hem of the skirt was a pair of snow-white and delicate girl's feet without stockings.
Her pretty face still had a calm and composed look, yet a dignified look without even getting angry.
The wind blows across the windowsill, bringing in the scenery of the courtyard.
The red curtains in the room were swaying and the fragrance of flowers was everywhere.
A slim maid in a tube-top tulle dress was kneeling beside him, with her head lowered, silently grinding ink.
The slender waist, the snow-white skin and the curvy figure that were faintly visible through the tulle, as well as the snow-white legs revealed in the tulle skirt and the delicate feet revealed under the skirt, all added another charming scenery to this red room.
The whole room was silent.
Not long.
Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door.
Then, Yuewu's voice sounded at the door: "Your Highness, Mr. Luo is here."
Nangong Huoyue put down the wolf hair brush in his hand and turned to look.
Outside the pearl curtain, a tall figure in a loose Confucian robe was standing there with his back bent. Although he had not spoken yet, he gave people an aura of gentleness, wisdom and depth.
"Let Mr. Luo in quickly."
Nangong Huoyue stood up, stretched out her long legs under her red skirt, and walked over to greet them personally.
The bead curtain rustled.
Luo Qingzhou took off his shoes, bowed and walked in, bowed his head at the door and said respectfully: "Greetings, Your Highness."
"You're welcome, sir."
Nangong Huoyue walked up to him with a gentle smile on her face. She stared at his face for a few seconds and said with a smile, "I have disturbed you from studying for the exam again today. I would like to apologize to you first."
Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and said, "I dare not."
Nangong Huoyue turned sideways, extended her hand and said, "Sir, please come in. I came to see you today. In addition to listening to your wonderful stories, I also have a few questions for you. I hope you will be generous in giving me advice."
Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and walked in.
Nangong Huoyue glanced at him again, walked to the table and said, "Sir, please take a seat."
After Luo Qingzhou sat down, she followed suit, personally holding her wide sleeves, picking up the teapot, and pouring a cup of tea for him, then asked with a smile, "Would you like to drink, sir?"
Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and said respectfully: "No."
Nangong Huoyue put down the teapot and said with a smile: "It's good to have a few drinks occasionally. It is said that many masterpieces left by talented people were created after being drunk. With your talent, you can give it a try."
Luo Qingzhou bowed and said, "What story would you like to hear today, Your Highness?"
Nangong Huoyue looked at him calmly, her slender jade fingers tapping lightly on the eucalyptus table, as if she was thinking about something.
After a while, Fang said, "Sir, it's getting late today. I'd like to hear about the Beauty Trap from the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Do you have such a story?"
Luo Qingzhou was slightly startled when he heard this. He glanced at the maid who was grinding ink with her head down. She was wearing a thin gauze, her breasts half exposed, and her jade-like skin faintly visible. He was silent for a moment and said, "Yes."
Nangong Huoyue smiled and said, "Please speak, sir."
Luo Qingzhou calmed his mind, looked straight ahead, and said, "If the soldiers are strong, attack their generals; if the generals are wise, attack their emotions. If the generals are weak and the soldiers are demoralized, their power will naturally wither..."
"If you have a strong army and a wise general, you cannot defeat the enemy. You must prepare in advance. To serve them with land is the worst strategy; to serve them with money and silk is also the worst strategy. Only by serving them with beautiful women and easing their ambitions is the best strategy, and you can turn defeat into victory..."
Nangong Huoyue said, "Sir, what you mean is that the enemy is powerful, with brave soldiers and wise generals, so we can only surrender to him temporarily. Use benefits to bribe and disintegrate his will, right?"
"yes."
"Then why are land and money the worst options, and only beauties the best option?"
"Your Highness, offering land will inevitably strengthen the enemy's strength, just like the six countries competing to serve Qin with land, which will not have any good results; using money, jewelry, silk and satin to please the enemy will inevitably increase the enemy's wealth, and at the same time will show that it is too timid and incompetent, just like the previous dynasty served the Daluo Kingdom and the Baihua Kingdom, which will not have any effect, and will still be bullied and plundered in the end; only the beauty trap is the most suitable, which can wear down the will of the enemy generals or even the ruler of a country, weaken his physique, affect his emotions and judgment, and thus increase the resentment of his ministers and troops. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, was defeated by Fu Chai, the King of Wu, so he used the beautiful woman Xi Shi to please Fu Chai, making him greedy for enjoyment and lose his vigilance. Later, Yue defeated Wu. There are many such examples in the previous dynasty..."
Nangong Huoyue held her breath and listened attentively to him talking about the past and present. Suddenly, her eyes were burning, staring at his handsome and confident face in a trance.
The maid who was grinding ink nearby couldn't help but look up and look at the elegant and talented young man in front of her. Her eyes were so watery that they seemed to be overflowing with tears.
This conversation lasted for two hours.
Outside the window, the sun is setting.
Luo Qingzhou stopped talking, picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Nangong Huoyue's eyes were still fixed on his cheek and those bright eyes. After a moment's silence, she came back to her senses, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for him. She smiled and said, "Sir, you are very talented. I am convinced."
After a pause, she suddenly added, "However, the examples you gave, those generals and kings, were all men. Since ancient times, men have had difficulty resisting the temptation of beauty, but what if it is a woman? A woman is a general, a woman is... the ruler of a country. How can the other party use the beauty trap then?"
As soon as these words came out.
The air in the entire study seemed to suddenly stagnate.
There was silence for a while.
Luo Qingzhou then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I am just speaking from one perspective. I am only saying this for your reference. It is not the truth, nor is it really useful."
Nangong Huoyue still stared at him with her beautiful eyes and said, "Sir, can you answer me directly? If the general is a woman, and the ruler is also a woman, then the enemy's strategy will be completely useless? If this strategy is useless, does it mean that many other strategies used on men are actually useless on female commanders, right?"
Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then said, "No."
"oh?"
Nangong Huoyue narrowed her eyes.
Luo Qingzhou raised his head, met her eyes, and said, "Your Highness, the beauty trap is indeed used against male commanders, but if you are dealing with a female commander, you can actually use the beauty trap or other emotional traps. As long as they are human, they will have emotions, whether they are male or female, they will have physical needs and emotional needs, and they will have desires. As long as you grasp these, no matter whether the opponent's commander is male or female, you will have the opportunity to use your tricks."
At this point, he paused, his eyes still meeting hers, and continued, "Your Highness thinks that if a woman is the commander, many mistakes can be avoided and many strategies of the other side can be ignored. This assumption is not true. If Your Highness really thinks so, he may pay a heavy price in the future."
The atmosphere suddenly became more tense and depressing.
The ink block in the maid's hand was trembling slightly. She raised her head and looked at the daring young man in front of her with surprise.
There was silence in the room for a long time.
Nangong Huoyue smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your explanation and wise advice, sir. I will definitely keep your words in mind."
Luo Qingzhou retracted his gaze, turned his head, looked at the sky outside the window, stood up and bowed, saying: "Your Highness, it's getting late, I should go back."
Nangong Huoyue smiled and said, "I originally wanted to have a few words with you today, but now it seems unnecessary. I already understand your intentions. But I still want to ask you, what is your intention?"
Luo Qingzhou remained silent and did not answer.
Nangong Huoyue did not ask any more questions, but stood up and said with a smile: "Sir, I heard that there is only one maidservant in your room. Sir, you have helped me so much, and I have nothing to give you. Even if I want to give you something, you dare not take it. So, I will give you a maidservant."
As she spoke, she looked at the girl who was grinding ink next to her.
The ink-grinding girl lowered her head and slowly stood up. Then she turned around and faced Luo Qingzhou. She suddenly untied the belt around her waist, and the veil on her body instantly slipped off, revealing a pink and attractive perfect body.
Nangong Huoyue said calmly, "Her name is Hua Gu. She is a saint from a sect in Baihua Country. She is naturally fragrant and keeps warm in winter and cool in summer. She grew up eating nectar and spirit juice. Every part of her body is pink and sweet. Even tears, sweat, saliva and other liquids are as sweet as nectar. However, her life span is only twenty years at most. Just like flowers, they bloom at their most beautiful and wither at their most beautiful. Sir, take her back. She also wants to have a home of her own and someone to accompany her. It is a complete waste for her to stay with me. In fact, since the first time you came, her eyes have never left you, even through the wall and the curtain."
The girl lowered her head, her pink cheeks flushed.
Luo Qingzhou suddenly asked: "Your Highness, did you really kill the 100,000 surrendered soldiers of the Baihua Kingdom?"
Nangong Huoyue smiled faintly and said, "Sir, you can take her back and ask her, or you can ask Yuewu. They will tell you."
Luo Qingzhou said nothing more, but bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, I have a wife at home and many maids to serve me, so I can only appreciate it."
"Your Highness, goodbye."
He didn't linger any longer, but bowed and left.
The bead curtain rustled.
He left the house, put on his shoes outside, and left alone.
When he reached the courtyard, the sword-holding girl under the tree came over silently and followed him with a cold face.
The evening breeze blows, filling the yard with the fragrance of flowers.
Luo Qingzhou suddenly turned around and asked, "Chanchan, when I asked Bailing, she said that as long as the eldest lady agreed, she could be my maid. What about you? Can you?"
The girl behind him suddenly stopped.
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