"Her it's her," Lu Ming said to Wang Yun, directly choosing Diao Chan, who was in the middle position.
A young girl, not yet fully grown, her face still carrying the innocence of youth, yet already a little beauty.
A beauty just beginning to blossom, she could be used if needed!
Lu Ming wouldn't believe anything else, but the name displayed by the system would never lie.
Two names, likely one her real name and one her stage name.
Dancers all have a stage name, and often their real names are gradually forgotten.
In a sense, they are commodities, even less than concubines, often used to entertain distinguished guests.
To put it bluntly, they are domesticated prostitutes, given away as wives to servants when they are no longer needed, and the servants are expected to be grateful.
This is the life of the powerful and wealthy, so exciting.
"Oh? One is enough?" Wang Yun wasn't surprised. After all, he had indeed been raising Diao Chan like a treasure, even his own sons hadn't been able to win her over, all so she could be used someday.
"One is enough. Quality over quantity. Then it's her. I implore Imperial Censor Wang to part with her." Lu Ming raised his hand and bowed slightly, his expression not like he was begging, but rather one of official business.
This, however, puzzled Wang Yun. He didn't know what Lu Ming was up to.
"This is Diao Chan, my adopted daughter. I treat her like my own flesh and blood. I hope the General will treat her well." Wang Yun was both flattering himself and trying to gain favor.
He beckoned to Diao Chan, "Diao Chan, come here!"
Wang Gai, standing nearby, looked somewhat displeased and resentful. He had also coveted Diao Chan for a long time, but his father said she was very useful and couldn't be touched.
He could only suppress his lower body; women were plentiful, but if he angered his father and lost his inheritance, that would be a huge loss!
"Diao Chan, this is Lu Ming, the General of the Western Garden Army, the husband of Princess Wannian. From now on, you belong to him. Serve him well, understand?" Wang Yun was quite generous, simply waving his sleeve and sending Diao Chan away.
She was just a dancer; there was nothing to be reluctant about. If he didn't have one, he'd just buy another. Weren't daughters hard to find?
So many people were so poor they couldn't afford to eat and had to sell their children. This was nothing difficult.
As for the suffering of the common people?
What did that have to do with him!
"Yes, Godfather." Diao Chan bowed several times to Wang Yun, then rose and bowed to Lu Ming. "This humble woman, Diao Chan, greets the General."
Lu Ming, without any ceremony, pulled Diao Chan to sit beside him, picked up his handkerchief, and smiled at Wang Yun, "Thank you for your kindness, Imperial Censor Wang. However, Imperial Censor Wang must be careful lately, as there are schemes from within the palace. I cannot say more, but I can only say that the other party is at the height of their power. Imperial Censor Wang would be best advised to flee to Chang'an and leave Luoyang. That's all I have to say. Farewell."
Having obtained her, he naturally left.
Wang Yun felt a chill run down his spine, not from Lu Ming's threat, but from his disgust and aversion to the Ten Attendants and his familiarity with their methods. "Thank you for the reminder, General. I will remember your great kindness."
Seeing Lu Ming take Diao Chan away, Wang Gai, still indignant, said to Wang Yun, "Father, you just let him take her away like that? He clearly did it on purpose!"
"On purpose? What did he do on purpose?" Wang Yun intentionally tested his son. In officialdom, there are never grudges, only interests.
Driven by interests, enemies can become allies.
Without interest, they are not even given a second glance.
"He deliberately came to take Diao Chan away!" Wang Gai hadn't grasped the underlying power struggle; he only knew that the woman he had longed for had been taken away.
*Slap!*
Wang Yun slapped his son across the face. Seeing Wang Gai's confusion, he slapped him again, delivering two more slaps. "Women! Women! All you ever think about is women! What is Diao Chan? You can find another woman, but if you lose your life, you lose everything! You fool!"
No wonder Wang Yun was angry; none of his sons were reliable!
Truly utterly foolish, actually thinking it was all for a woman?
Diao Chan was beautiful, but not famous. Lu Ming's visit couldn't possibly be for Diao Chan; he was definitely here for a transaction.
This transaction might be related to his cooperation with the Yang family. Grand Commandant Yang Ci was his teacher and mentor back then, so it's entirely possible. Taking Diao Chan away was just a side effect; it would be good if he got her, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.
"You stay in your study and study properly. You're not allowed to go out for the time being!" Wang Yun was furious, utterly disappointed in his son.
He was also plotting how to deal with Zhang Rang's pressure. Dealing with him through the eunuchs was incredibly easy.
The Ten Attendants were the emperor's sharpest weapon. Saying the emperor was being fooled or deceived was just an illusion. The truth is that the Ten Attendants are the emperor's sharpest blades, used against them!
Lu Ming didn't care about all that; he genuinely only came to see if he could get his hands on Diao Chan, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China.
Now that things seemed to be going smoothly, and he'd achieved his goal, he didn't mind using a borrowed knife to kill someone.
Long ago, the Ten Attendants and the civil officials were sworn enemies.
There was no exchange of benefits between them; it was all about life and death!
While powerful families might despise those from humble backgrounds, they would still cooperate.
But for eunuchs without penises, it was utter contempt, a deep-seated disdain. They considered these spineless dogs unworthy to speak to them.
Lu Ming hummed a little tune as he brought Diao Chan back to his residence and arranged for maids to serve her. "You'll stay here for now. If you need anything, just tell Wang Huan, and he'll arrange it."
"Yes, sir." Diao Chan lowered her head obediently. Her snow-white oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and large, watery almond eyes, bright and white, exuded charm and allure, making her as beautiful as an ancient fairy, like a fairy carved from white jade.
Her exquisite oval face revealed a natural beauty, pleasing to the eye and hard to look away from.
Not in a hurry to consume Diao Chan, Lu Ming planned to nurture her first time before deflowering her.
To take Diao Chan as a concubine, he now had one more thing to do.
He needed to take the betrothal gifts to Zhang Yulan's house, present them to the Zhang family, and bring Zhang Yulan back.
With the Empress's decree, taking her as a concubine was a matter of course; there was no way to object.