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"Huh? So, you're planning to marry another man carrying your adoration for yours truly?"

It really was a dramatic twist of events, right out of some cheesy melodrama. Zhu Bafu shrugged indifferently. "That's the plan. Love at first sight and all that nonsense is too unreliable. I just came to bid farewell to my romance, and then I'm heading back to get married." She spun a flawless lie, every detail locking neatly into place, and turned to walk away without a shred of lingering attachment. Before she could, however, he took a step forward and blocked her path, his bright, dark eyes gazing at her deeply without so much as a blink.

"So, are you rejecting me?"

Peacock-like men seemed entirely incapable of handling rejection. His entire face filled with displeasure and gloom, bearing almost no resemblance to the smug, swaggering persona he wore just moments before.

"So, you'd rather not marry me just for some other man?"

Huh? Why did his phrasing make the situation sound so bizarre? It made it sound like she was some heartless wretch who loved money over virtue, having been in a long-term relationship with him only to turn unfaithful at the last second and marry someone else.

"... Who?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me, what kind of man is this you're going to marry?"

"..." Well, this was terrible. Where on earth was she supposed to find a man to marry now...

"If you can't name him, I won't let you go. I'll carry you back to my estate myself."

Is your estate run by highway-robbing bandits?!

"The man I'm going to marry is Zhu—Young Master Bafu of the Zhu Household! Young Master Zhu Bafu of Wuya Bookstore!!"

"What?! You're going to marry that little piece of trash?"

"Who did you call a piece of trash?" You're the piece of trash, your whole family is a bunch of trash!

"Not only is he trash, he's also a total sissy who does nothing all day and even used to send love letters to men!"

"That love letter was clearly something you told me to—"

"Hm?"

"Even... even if he doesn't like women and only likes men, I'm still going to stay with him!"

Nonsense, how could she possibly like women? Her preferences were normally straight in a way that defied explanation!

"I don't like women who speak with such absolute certainty." He pressed his index finger against her lips, cutting off any further bold declarations. "If you're going to be my woman, I won't allow anyone to lay a hand on you and leave even the slightest mark on your face."

Startled, she touched her gradually cooling cheek. She hadn't expected him to notice the slap mark on her face with such careful attention. He reached out, unhooked the miniature tobacco pouch from his belt, handed it to her, and curved his lips. "Take it. A token of being my woman. If you aren't satisfied with him, come back and find me anytime."

He paused, then suddenly flashed a hint of an ambiguous, soft smile. "Before the wedding or after it, either is fine. I welcome the latter even more."

She looked down at the small tobacco pouch in her hand. Embroidered on the deep purple fabric was a silver thread dragon coiling around a rising sun, with a row of small silver letters printed near the tail of the little silver dragon. "What is this?" she asked, pointing at the line of text.

"The number of women who have fancied yours truly."

Wasn't that the number of women he'd philandered with? He handed them out to everyone like some mass giveaway, and even sorted them by number? What kind of low-class collecting habit was this! Come to think of it, were there three hundred and twenty-nine tragic figures ahead of her? And she just happened to round that number up to an even figure, is that it?

"When you come looking for me in the future, if I don't remember you, just show me this tobacco pouch. I certainly won't forget a number."

Look for him in the future? What for? To rally the preceding 329 women into a mighty army of Mothers, each taking off an embroidered shoe to slap his peacock face with it? If that were the case, she'd be more than happy to join.

She had gone out for the day and accomplished absolutely nothing.

She had been kicked and beaten by Young Mistress Li, and even handed her silver over to the woman. She lost her silver, lost her pride, and only managed to bring back a tobacco pouch numbered 330.

No wonder Zhu Xiaojiu had been eyeing her like she was useless trash ever since she walked through the door.

"You lost the silver?"

She nodded with a grievance so deep her lips poked out in a giant pout.

"How are we supposed to send silver to the old man from now on?"

She shook her head lifelessly, her lips flattening into an even lower line.

"Since that's the case, you'll just have to sell yourself."

"Sell... sell yourself!!?? Are you selling yourself or... me?"

"Of course you. I'm a minor and haven't finished growing yet, how could I sell myself?"

"... Maybe there's someone out there with a taste for your exact brand, into young sprouts and pedophilia or something. The market value for tender meat like yours definitely has to be way higher than my used goods, you little—!"

"Who on earth was the one who botched things in the first place?! What right do you have to tell me to go sell myself?" Zhu Xiaojiu slammed the table in anger, summoning the dignity of a household head. Zhu Bafu shrank back into the corner of the table instantly to twiddle her fingers, thoroughly proving that when you lacked financial power at home, age, gender, and height were all completely worthless.

"Then... who are you going to sell me to? What's my market value? Someone as versatile in both the literary and martial arts as me shouldn't go for a low price, right?"

"It's not low. A dual-purpose commodity who can play the man or the woman, the husband or the wife—where else are you going to find that?" Zhu Xiaojiu calmly settled back into his seat, his two little feet dangling and swinging beneath the table. "How about we sell you to the current Emperor to use as a servant?"

Thwack. A thin, crumpled notice was slapped onto the table-----

Recruitment Notice for Dongxu Mansion, Directly Subordinate Academy under the Ministry of Personnel, Year 6 of Tianjuan. By mandate of heaven, to meet the needs of imperial institutions and their directly subordinate Ministry of Personnel agencies in recruiting new officials, and in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations of the current dynasty, the Ministry of Personnel will organize and implement the recruitment and enrollment of personnel for Dongxu Mansion and its related departments in Year 6 of Tianjuan, in order to prepare for the replacement and selection of officials in our dynasty. The relevant matters, application requirements, and official posts are hereby announced as follows:...

"Dongxu Mansion recruitment?" Zhu Bafu held the large broadsheet, staring at Zhu Xiaojiu, who was nodding repeatedly. "You want me to take the exams?"

"That's right."

"But I'm a woman!"

"I'd almost forgotten."

"..."

Rankings

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Historical Romance

Cross-Dressing