Chapter 4093 — Most Peculiar

"Ah, this ginseng broth I'm giving you is not merely to build up your health—there is a deeper meaning in it!" Sima Qian made as if to feed Wei Zhao the broth with her own hands, and laughed softly: "I have taken it upon myself to decide—tonight is your wedding night with that maidservant of mine! A single quarter of an hour is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so how could you not fortify yourself while you still can? Wouldn't you agree?"

"Truly? Then that is wonderful—thank you for making it possible, Miss Sima!" Wei Zhao put on a look of impatient eagerness, took the bowl of ginseng broth in both hands of his own accord, and took a small sip.

Even back in the mundane world, Wei Zhao had already been a skilled physician; a single taste told him exactly what was in the ginseng broth. After just that one small sip, he could already break down its components.

There was nothing seriously wrong with this bowl of ginseng broth, but a little something extra had been added—nothing else than a fierce, potent draught meant solely for carnal use, much like the yang-tonics of the mundane world!

Could it be that Sima Qian really did intend for him to spend the night with her maidservant? Wei Zhao's doubts deepened at once. Before this, he had always assumed the other party was merely dangling a bit of sweetness before him, wanting him to do some shady business on her behalf—but now she had actually given him this kind of drug. That was far too strange.

"Well? Is the ginseng broth good?" Sima Qian stared at Wei Zhao with burning eyes. From the look of her, if he did not drain it all in front of her, she would not let him off easily.

"G-good... it's good..." Wei Zhao decided to play along; he tipped back his head and drank the entire bowl of ginseng broth in one go. This little bit of seasoning was nothing—once swallowed, he could refine it away inside his body directly. It could not possibly have any effect.

After drinking it, however, Wei Zhao deliberately put on a show of being consumed by lust—his whole body flushed and feverish, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing heavy—and reached out to grope at Sima Qian.

Sima Qian neither dodged nor flinched. She let Wei Zhao take his liberties, the corners of her mouth curving upward in the smugness of a scheme come to fruition: "Very well, Young Hero Ling. I shall have someone send you to the bridal chamber now."

With that, Sima Qian snapped her fingers, summoning a guard from outside, who supported Wei Zhao away.

The very next moment, however, Sima Qian—who had been all silken glances a moment before—abruptly put on a cold, sinister expression and said to a maidservant who pushed the door open: "Little Qiuhua, well? Is everything arranged?"

"Everything is arranged, Miss. Please have a look." Little Qiuhua, fawning, handed over an object—and it was, astonishingly, a tablet-like MP4 player!

Sima Qian took it and switched it on. A surveillance feed of a room appeared on the screen, and within it sat a woman of stunning beauty, dressed in a white gown, pure and holy as ice, like a fairy fallen into the mortal world, unstained by any dust of the vulgar realm. She inspired admiration, yet one could not bear to profane her.

"Tsk, tsk. The things the Central Chamber Commerce sells really are advanced! They say this is the pinnacle of mundane-world technology. Ordinary means cannot bring such things up here at all—only the Central Chamber Commerce can manage it. And for just this one little surveillance device, they want ten thousand spirit jades. Truly outrageously expensive..." Sima Qian sneered at the woman on the screen while clucking her tongue in admiration.

"Indeed, Miss. But this thing really is useful! When the time comes, all you have to do is show today's recorded footage to Senior Brother Wei. Let him know that the woman he has his eye on is in fact nothing but a slut. Then he is sure to come around and recognize how good you are, Miss!" Little Qiuhua flattered with a grin.

"Exactly! Hmph—a mere maidservant who amounts to nothing dares to compete for attention with me? We shall see if this time I do not finish you off! Hahahaha!" Sima Qian laughed triumphantly. "Earlier I told Senior Brother Wei that this maidservant Xiaoxue had a lover outside, that she was a slut, and Senior Brother Wei did not believe me. I never expected that on this outing we would catch a fool so quickly. The recording has no sound anyway—let this fool go and bed that slut, and then with only the images to go by, they will have no way to argue their innocence!"

"Hee hee, Miss is so clever. With the facts laid out before his eyes, Senior Brother Wei will have no choice but to believe it. And once that slut has had her chastity taken by the fool, that is nailed down beyond any doubt, and Senior Brother Wei is bound to give up on her." Little Qiuhua chimed in with the same gloating laugh.

"Naturally. If I were not afraid of rousing Senior Brother Wei's suspicions, I would have struck and killed that slut long ago—why go to such trouble, and waste ten thousand spirit jades buying this surveillance device!" Sima Qian said resentfully. Ten thousand spirit jades was no small sum to anyone; even for a young lady like her, it was a considerable drain.

"There was no helping it. A man as brilliant as Senior Brother Wei would never believe it without solid evidence, and then it would be hard to manage. But as things stand now, it is absolutely foolproof—Miss has handled it very prudently. With your surpassing wisdom, Miss, Senior Brother Wei is sure to fall at your feet, and no one will be able to take him from you!" Little Qiuhua fawned with a smile.

"You wretch, you do love stating the obvious!" Sima Qian was delighted to hear it. Then she suddenly asked: "By the way, that thing we ordered from the Central Chamber Commerce—the one that can restore a maiden's chastity—has it arrived yet?"

"Not yet, but I have already been pressing them to deliver it as soon as possible," Little Qiuhua replied.

"Mm. This is a matter of utmost importance, Little Qiuhua—keep a close eye on it for me. Otherwise, if Senior Brother Wei discovers that I am not a virgin, then..." The consequences would be unimaginable; even Sima Qian herself sounded uneasy as she said it.

Seeing this, Little Qiuhua comforted her: "Miss, you need not worry so much. Those few male concubines we used for our amusement before have all been quietly disposed of—without a soul knowing. No one will ever learn of this! And if it truly comes to it, we can simply say it was torn during cultivation. That should be nothing, surely—does one not hear people say such things all the time?"

At that, Sima Qian shook her head decisively: "No, that will not do. This is a matter of a lifetime, and not the slightest carelessness can be permitted. It is better to be safe! Otherwise, if I say mine was torn—would you also claim yours was torn along with it? Have you forgotten, you wretch, that when the time comes you will be serving Senior Brother Wei alongside me."

"Yes, yes. Then I shall go press them right now. Miss, you may set your heart at ease—hee hee!" At the thought that she too would soon be in Senior Brother Wei's embrace, Little Qiuhua was overcome with joy—this had been her long-cherished wish all along. She at once ran out the door with light, tripping steps.

"The shameless little wretch!" Sima Qian was in equally high spirits. She turned her gaze back to the surveillance feed on the MP4 in her hand—whether she could successfully win Senior Brother Wei's heart back would depend on how the people in that picture performed. (To be continued) R655