After saluting, the woman in white gently spoke:
"I am Zou Rong, and I wish all the esteemed lords good fortune and health."
Her voice was particularly crisp and pleasant, making Yuan Shu feel very comfortable when he heard it.
Looking at her graceful figure, even with a veil covering her face, it was clear that she was an absolute beauty.
The title of courtesan was indeed well-deserved.
Yuan Shu thought to himself, "System, check Zou Rong's attributes!"
"Ding! System is processing... Search successful!"
"Beauty Name: Zou Rong
Zou Rong's Attributes:
Strength: 12, Leadership: 31, Intelligence: 65, Politics: 21, Charm: 94, Luck: 53
Friendliness: 0 (Strangers)"
"Zou Rong's Skill:
Peerless Beauty (Awakened): Extremely attracts the attention of the opposite sex. When facing men, charm increases by 1 to 3 points (value fluctuates based on the man's willpower)."
Yuan Shu was surprised that she had an extraordinary charm score of 94, and with her skill bonus, her charm could reach 97 when facing weak-willed individuals!
However, he thought to himself, "Well, I am definitely one of the strong-willed ones."
The system was quite thoughtful—when encountering a beauty, it displayed "Beauty Name" instead of "Talent Name."
It even added a friendliness attribute, clearly encouraging him to pursue beauties.
Xizhi Cai, standing beside him, noticed Yuan Shu staring intently at the woman on stage and asked with a smile:
"My lord, do you fancy the lady on stage?"
Hearing Xizhi Cai's voice, Yuan Shu snapped back to reality and cleared his throat:
"Uh, no, I'm just interested in the way she made her entrance."
Xizhi Cai chuckled and said:
"If you like her, there's no harm in admitting it.
A gentleman should pursue a fair lady. I believe the Yuan family wouldn't mind if you took another concubine."
In the late Han period, men were generally given much freedom in such matters, especially the ministers of lords, who wished for their masters to have more wives and offspring to ensure the continuation of their power.
Many officials even believed that their lord's power would only stabilize once they had heirs.
As a minister, Xizhi Cai had no objections to his lord's fondness for beauties.
Yuan Shu was indeed very interested in Zou Rong and saw no need to hide it from his trusted advisor.
He chuckled and said:
"Sir, you've seen through me. I do find this beauty interesting."
A charm value of 94 was an extremely high score.
Yuan Shu felt that Zou Rong's beauty could rival the famous Diaochan from the late Han and Three Kingdoms era.
On stage, Zou Rong danced gracefully, her skills solid, fully showcasing her stunning elegance.
The audience was captivated by Zou Rong, while Yuan Shu remained relatively composed compared to them.
Only Xizhi Cai stood beside him, his expression calm and his eyes clear, completely unaffected by Zou Rong's beauty.
Yuan Shu pondered in his heart—such a high charm value, she couldn't be an unknown figure. But which famous beauty from the Three Kingdoms era had the surname Zou?
Just as he was contemplating her background, a rough voice suddenly interrupted the beautiful melody.
"Well danced! Beauty, truly beautiful! This beauty belongs to me!"
The voice was loud, hoarse, and unpleasant, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They all looked at the speaker with displeasure.
Yuan Shu followed the sound and saw a towering man, eight feet tall, with dark skin, a face full of scars, and a thick beard standing there roaring.
Despite the warm weather in Luoyang, the man was still wrapped in a fur pelt, looking like a savage who lived off raw meat and blood.
A young noble in a brocade robe glanced at the man, thinking to himself that such a brute dared to bellow in a refined place like Furong Pavilion and disturb his enjoyment?
Annoyed, he ordered his servants:
"You lot, throw him out! Such a disgraceful thing!"
The servants, accustomed to bullying others, immediately rushed at the man without hesitation.
However, before they could even touch him, two similarly dressed men beside the brute swiftly knocked them down with clean and efficient moves.
"You puny bird, you ordered these weaklings to lay hands on me?"
The brute grinned, revealing several yellowed teeth, and glared fiercely at the noble who had given the order.
The noble's servants were reasonably skilled, usually able to hold their ground against ordinary opponents.
But seeing his men taken down effortlessly, the noble turned pale, his legs went weak, and he fell to his knees in fear.
"Bah! Useless trash!"
The brute spat at the noble and lost interest in him.
Instead, he turned to Zou Rong on stage and said, "Beauty, I've taken a liking to you! Come down and follow me!"
His two lackeys grinned and hollered, "Sister-in-law, our big bro fancies you! Come with us!"
The audience was furious at their behavior, but after witnessing the previous incident, no one dared to stand up to the brute. Zou Rong stood helplessly on stage, looking pitiful.
Yuan Shu found the man extremely displeasing and thought to himself, "System, check out who this savage is!"
"Ding! System received request. Search successful!"
"Talent Name: Zhang Ji (Note 1)
Zhang Ji's Attributes:
Strength: 85, Leadership: 75, Intelligence: 42, Politics: 30, Charm: 12, Luck: 78"
"Zhang Ji's Skills:
Pillage and Kill (Awakened): Zhang Ji loves killing; his strength increases by 2 points during combat.
Plunder (Awakened): Zhang Ji disregards law and order, plundering people and wealth alike; leadership increases by 3 points during raids."
Yuan Shu was stunned—so this brute was none other than Zhang Ji!
At this moment, he also recalled who Zou Rong was. Wasn't she the femme fatale Zou who caused Cao Cao to lose his eldest son Cao Ang and his beloved general Dian Wei?
Now, he finally understood why such an exceptional beauty ended up marrying a brute like Zhang Ji.
It was probably because she had been taken by Zhang Ji this time.
Yuan Shu sneered inwardly. He had already made up his mind not to let Zhang Ji take Zou Rong away again.
He despised those who couldn't win over a woman and resorted to force instead—there was no skill in that at all.
At this moment, Zou Rong on the stage barely managed to calm herself down. With great anxiety, she said to Zhang Ji:
"I am but a humble woman of no great beauty. I deeply appreciate the hero's favor, but I have an agreement with Furong Pavilion and cannot leave with you. I beg for your forgiveness, great hero."
Zhang Ji didn't mind at all after hearing this. He laughed heartily and said:
"Whether you leave or not is not up to you! I, Zhang Ji, have never failed to get what I want! Take her!"
At Zhang Ji's command, his two henchmen prepared to rush onto the stage to seize her.
[Author's Note]:
Zhang Ji was from Wuwei and served as a general under Dong Zhuo. He was the uncle of Zhang Xiu, the Breaker of Qiang General, and known for his courage and combat skills.
Under the orders of Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, Niu Fu, he, along with Li Jue and Guo Si, led an army to defeat Zhu Jun and later plundered the regions of Chenliu and Yingchuan, leaving nothing behind wherever they passed.
After Dong Zhuo's demise, he followed Li Jue and Guo Si in their advance on Chang'an and stationed troops in Hongnong, eventually being granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang.
Ultimately, due to food shortages and military defeats, he was shot by an arrow and killed in battle.