Su Cuiling tugged at the hair she had bound, finding it surprisingly secure, and let out a heavy sigh of relief. This method truly seemed to be effective. With the desired outcome achieved, Su Cuiling was no longer as worried. Now, as long as she could tie up all her hair, even if she stopped wearing the headscarf tomorrow, the volume of hair would conceal the injuries on her head.
As for the straw, it wasn't a significant issue. After all, she and the other girls hadn't washed their hair or bathed in a long time, and their bodies and hair were already dirty and smelly. Therefore, even if her hair was mixed with a lot of straw, others wouldn't find it strange.
Thus, for the rest of the time, Su Cuiling tied all her remaining hair to her head. She worked through the night without stopping, finally managing to tie all her hair before dawn.
In the early morning, after finishing with all her hair, Su Cuiling put the cloth headscarf back on. With so much hair bound up, the headscarf now appeared much more prominent than before, making her entire head look several sizes larger.
Although it looked a bit peculiar, at least this problem was solved, and Su Cuiling could finally relax a little. She tugged at her dirty clothes and, with exhaustion etched on her face, collapsed into the haystack. After toiling all night without proper rest, she could finally catch up on her sleep.
As expected, the next morning, her subordinates reported that Wang Bingchang's jade thumb ring had been stolen. They gathered all the purchased women in one place, stripped them naked, and searched them.
When the search reached Su Cuiling, Wang Bingchang stared at her from head to toe with a playful gaze. Unlike his treatment of others during the search, he wore a faint, knowing smile as he looked at Su Cuiling.
Su Cuiling's behavior also differed greatly from the other women. When stripped, the other women cried and resisted, keeping their heads down, afraid to meet anyone's eyes.
But Su Cuiling was different. She knew about the injuries on her head and the bald patch in the middle. She was worried that if she lowered her head, all the bound hair would fall off.
Therefore, even though Su Cuiling trembled with fear and her face was streaked with tears, she dared not lower her head. Instead, she held her head high, determined to prevent anyone from discovering her secret about her hair.
Seeing her crying while desperately tilting her head back, Wang Bingchang paused in front of Su Cuiling for a long time, his gaze lingering significantly on her hair.
Wang Bingchang did not move, and Su Cuiling felt like she was about to die from fear. Her heart was pounding rapidly, feeling as if it would leap out of her throat.
In fact, there was something Su Cuiling didn't know: the three people whose hair she had cut had hair that was mostly yellowish. Her own hair, having been struck by lightning, was completely scorched at the ends.
Last night, she had only been focused on attaching the hair and hadn't noticed the distinct difference in color between the cut hair and her own.
Consequently, Su Cuiling had no idea how peculiar her head looked. Her hair was incredibly voluminous, of varying lengths, and wildly puffed out. The color was scorched and yellowish, unevenly distributed, and mixed with a lot of straw, making it look dirty and messy.
Especially when paired with Su Cuiling's delicate, rather delicate face, the entire appearance became even more comically absurd. Seeing her peculiar image, Wang Bingchang amusedly raised his hand to cover his mouth, preventing himself from bursting into laughter.
Perhaps moved by Su Cuiling's survival instinct, or perhaps amused by her small actions, his mood brightened.
In the end, Wang Bingchang showed a moment of kindness. He didn't expose Su Cuiling's little trick nor did he drive her away. Instead, upon arriving at Suining Prefecture, he instructed the people in the mansion to focus on training her.
The steward, following Wang Bingchang's orders, naturally paid more attention to her. This was also the reason for Su Cuiling's later misunderstanding; she believed that Wang Bingchang treated her so well and specially because he fancied her.
However, it now seemed that it was all her wishful thinking.
As both of them were lost in their own thoughts, reminiscing about the past, Huo Qixiao suddenly spoke, pulling them back to reality.
"Setting aside whether Su Ling'er can compare to Su Muqing, or whether she can win Huo Qiyuan's favor, one must remember that Huo Qiyuan is to marry the Empress of Huaxia. As the Imperial Consort, he would absolutely not dare or wish to take a concubine before Su Muqing conceives. Therefore, the beauty trap you speak of cannot be considered a good strategy."
Although Wang Bingchang would not disobey Huo Qixiao's wishes, he did not quite agree with him this time. He understood the base nature of men far too well.
"What the Eldest Young Master says makes sense, but how can there be a man who doesn't love beauty in this world? That Huo Qiyuan is also a normal man, and he holds immense power, second only to one person. Even if Huo Qiyuan outwardly dares not openly take a concubine, if Su Cuiling could truly catch the Regent's eye, with his current power, it wouldn't be difficult for him to keep some obedient little pets privately."
"Are you so certain that this Su Ling'er will definitely gain Huo Qiyuan's favor?" Seeing Wang Bingchang's confident expression, Huo Qixiao's initial negation began to waver. He looked at Su Ling'er again for a moment, but no matter how he looked, Huo Qixiao felt that besides being reasonably attractive, Su Ling'er had nothing particularly captivating about her.
Seeing Huo Qixiao's lecherous gaze fixed on Su Ling'er, Wang Bingchang felt displeased. However, this was a critical moment, and he saw no need to indulge in such petty jealousy, lest it disrupt their plan.
Wang Bingchang glared at Su Ling'er with disdain and reached out to tug Huo Qixiao's sleeve, pulling his attention back. Then, with a lewd smile, he took out a colorful, dreamy glass bottle from his sleeve.
Wang Bingchang proudly dangled the bottle of potion before Huo Qixiao's eyes and then said with an ambiguous expression, "Given Su Ling'er's qualifications alone, it might be a bit difficult to bewitch Huo Qiyuan and capture his heart. But if we add this secret Western medicine – the concentrated love and harmony powder – in my hand, I have an eighty percent chance of ensuring Su Ling'er firmly grasps that Regent's heart!"
Huo Qixiao reached out to take the potion. Before Wang Bingchang could stop him, he had already quickly pulled out the wooden stopper. Instantly, a peculiar fragrance filled the entire tent. The scent not only bewitched the senses but also made the few people inside the tent feel a surge of excitement.