Zhou Yanqing had been handsome and refined from birth. Even being born in a remote town could not conceal his radiance.
People often looked at him in amazement, and the undisguised desire in their eyes made him uncomfortable.
What Zhou Yanqing hated most were powerful officials and nobles who leered at him, never treating him as an equal.
More like an object.
The warnings his mother had repeated in his ear for over twenty years had long since sunk deep into his heart.
"Yan, remember this. For commoners as lowly as dust like us, looking this outstanding can easily bring disaster. Those powerful officials and nobles especially love breaking people like you, who look so proud and unyielding!"
As Zhou Yanqing grew ever more outstanding, his mother became deeply worried. She repeatedly cautioned him to watch out for those rotten men full of devious schemes.
"Especially the ones in the Capital City. Almost every last one of them is a pervert! You mustn't believe their lies. They love to toy with people and then abandon them!"
Madam Zhou had traveled far and wide and seen plenty of such things. Many pitiable people had met miserable ends.
Zhou Yanqing asked in confusion, "Mother, what should I do, then? Hide?"
If they could not see him, they would not get all sorts of strange ideas about him.
"Hide? I mean you should study hard, take the Imperial Examination, and rise swiftly through the ranks to stand above others! Once you stand high enough, they'll only fear you. How would they dare covet you then? Look at the Imperial Preceptor. He's the most beautiful person in the world, but when many people look him in the eye, all they feel is fear, rather than thinking about his beauty."
Madam Zhou was exasperated with