Chapter 170: E Ji’s Methods
E Ji wore a silver-white luxurious fur cloak, holding a milk dog in her arms, standing at the manor gate under the escort of a crowd of attendants to welcome the returning young master from afar.
From far away, she saw the young master steadily sitting on the red date horse’s back, looking uninjured without missing an arm or leg, so she turned her gaze to the team behind him.
There were many people, at least five hundred. E Ji’s smile became even brighter; there were really too few able-bodied people at home who could work. Now, a large group had come, all looking burly and strong. In the future, the family’s days would surely be more prosperous.
“Instruct An Ji to make more meals. These people are pitiful; they probably haven’t eaten anything good. Prepare more so it’s not enough.”
The four half-grown little girls who could already serve as maids were now the four highest-ranking maids at home, staying close to E Ji without leaving her side.
The leading Chun Ji curtsied in response and then hurried back.
Zhang Min hurriedly rode a thunder smoke beast back, looking truly rushed with her hair blown messy by the wind.
E Ji’s face immediately fell, pointing at Zhang Min in anger: “Who let you rush out looking disheveled to meet guests?”
Zhang Min pursed her lips, took an iron helmet from the thunder smoke beast’s saddlebag, casually put it on her head, and grinned brightly at E Ji: “I’m in armor.”
E Ji wanted to get angry but saw Yun Ce had arrived at the gate, so she put on a brilliant smiling face, went forward, curtsied gracefully to Yun Ce, and said: “This concubine respectfully welcomes the young master’s victorious return.”
1 Yun Ce ignored E Ji’s hinting look that he could lift her onto the warhorse to ride home together, jumped down from the horse’s back, hugged E Ji, and said: “Heavier.”
1 Then he said to Zhang Min: “Guard Jingkou Pass well. What was once worthless is now invaluable.”
1 After that, he said to E Ji: “Are the meals prepared?”
1 Though dissatisfied, E Ji squeezed out a smile and said: “Prepared, all are the family’s specialties.”
1 Yun Ce turned to Qin Shu, He Qingfang, and the others behind him: “This is my wife. For any needs regarding materials, lodging, or other matters, find her.”
1 Hearing Yun Ce say this was the Yun clan’s matriarch, the group came forward one after another to pay respects. E Ji smiled brightly again and invited everyone into the manor.
1 Yun Ce pulled Zhang Min over and said to He Qingfang: “The family’s concubine, who briefly served at Iron Enclosure Pass before, returned covered in wounds. You can get close to her more in the future, get close.”
1 There are also two vassals at home; you’ll meet them at the evening banquet later. My family is simple in population. I hope everyone will treat each other as family from now on.
1 Now, remove armor, go home, bathe, change clothes, attend the evening banquet!
1 Hearing Yun Ce’s order, E Ji called the household servants forward to help the officers and soldiers remove their armor, then register them one by one. Those needing repair were taken for repair, those needing cleaning were taken for cleaning. By the time the officers and soldiers donned armor again, it would be flawless.
2 Armor and weapons are highly inauspicious items, especially armaments after battlefield combat. This fierce aura is the officers and soldiers’ confidence for killing enemies on the battlefield. Therefore, armor and weapons cannot enter the home; they must be stored separately beside the manor, and the place for storing armor and weapons will also be the officers and soldiers’ camp.
2 Qin Shu and He Qingfang held high status in the military. Hearing Yun Ce introduce them as a couple, E Ji’s senior maid Xia Ji personally led the two to the bathhouse at the guesthouse.
2 Along the way, He Qingfang’s gaze stayed on Xia Ji’s skirt hem, her hand tightly clutching her own coarse yi tree cloth garment. After years at Iron Enclosure Pass, she had even forgotten when she last wore proper clothes.
2 “Please bathe, General.”
2 After curtsying, Xia Ji smiled and left, handing the couple to two middle-aged maidservants at the door.
2 Entering the guesthouse with the two maidservants, the couple was stunned by the pool of hot water in the courtyard. Though the pool was stone-built with stone slabs at the bottom, in the cold winter, such a clear, steaming hot soup was enough to bring joy.
2 Seeing the two standing dumbfounded, the two maidservants smilingly stepped forward to help them change clothes. Qin Shu and He Qingfang initially thought it was just removing outer garments, but when the maidservants insistently removed even their undergarments, He Qingfang grew nervous and clutched her underpants, refusing to let them remove more.
2 “This is a noble household…”
2 Seeing Qin Shu already stripped bare by the maidservant, He Qingfang felt he was right. She had been just a commoner’s daughter before, and even after achieving success in martial arts, she went straight to Iron Enclosure Pass hoping to establish merit there, bring glory to her family. She had no idea what life in a wealthy noble household was like.
2 The maidservants didn’t urge her, just covered their mouths and chuckled. He Qingfang relaxed instead, allowing the maidservant to pull off her last bit of covering cloth.
3 The maidservants led the two into the pool, letting them comfortably lie on the underwater stone slabs, with only their heads resting on the pool edge.
3 Seeing the maidservants start to remove their clothes, He Qingfang inexplicably grew nervous again. She turned to see Qin Shu calmly enjoying the hot soup’s comfort, and her heart settled.
3 “Noble household, right?”
3 The maidservants ultimately didn’t strip fully, leaving their stomach bands and underpants. They brought wooden basins full of water, loosened Qin Shu and He Qingfang’s hair, and began rubbing their filthy hair with the Yun clan’s special soap.
3 Seeing the maidservants pour out basin after basin of black water, He Qingfang’s face flushed red. Qin Shu noticed her shame, took her hand, and placed it on his chest.
3 The maidservants lightly laughed and said: “Young master and wife have toiled in battle. Now just close your eyes and enjoy; everything is in this slave’s hands.”
3 Finally, after their hair was washed clean, the maidservants had the two lie on the stone slabs warmed by hot water nearby. Seeing the snow-white towels laid on the slabs, Qin Shu lay down with a smack, while He Qingfang hesitated a moment before lying down.
3 Then came the scene that made He Qingfang mortified with shame and anger: the maidservants poured acidic water over them, sprinkled salt, marinated them thoroughly, then wrapped a small white towel around their hand, and finally scrubbed their bodies vigorously. He Qingfang held up a finger-thick strip of filth scrubbed from her body, burying her head in the white towel, no longer wanting to live.
3 Until the maidservant pried apart her buttocks, raised her palm in a brushing motion—then He Qingfang realized hell had more than eighteen layers…
3 At this time, Yun Ce was also lying in the family’s large bathhouse, receiving the same service as Qin Shu and He Qingfang, except his attendants were E Ji and Zhang Min.
4 The scene was originally quite amorous: Yun Ce groped E Ji’s buttocks, teased Zhang Min’s chest, and as he reveled in embracing them left and right, E Ji finally noticed his body was like a spotted dog.
4 There was no way to hide being burned by fire; five hundred people had seen him fleeing from it. Sealing mouths wouldn’t work, so he told them everything about his situation at the time.
4 “Burned badly, even the true skin layer was damaged. Without Peng Zeng’s gifted medicine, what you’d see now wouldn’t be these faint spots, but a bloody, mangled me.
4 Alright, fortunately the good are blessed by heaven. See, I’ve returned perfectly fine. In a few days, these spots will heal too.”
4 E Ji lay on Yun Ce’s chest, tears in her eyes: “Who should I resent? Husband wants a great career, this concubine wants a large family—where do these come from if not husband risking his life? This concubine resents no one, not even the devils…”
4 Ultimately, E Ji didn’t say from now on Yun Ce wasn’t allowed to take risks; she knew it wasn’t realistic.
4 Zhang Min took Yun Ce’s injury lightly; back at Iron Enclosure Pass outskirts, she had already faced death countless times. But hearing Yun Ce had captured a devil’s thousand-man general and buried alive over two thousand elite devils, she was still shocked speechless.
4 “A thousand-man general, giant ox cavalryman, ox cavalryman—young master, these are truly Gui Fang’s elites, absolutely not those starving rookie soldiers sent specifically for us to kill.”
4 Yun Ce took a sip of ice-cold rice wine and asked E Ji.
4 “Bathing is bathing, why send so many maidservants to serve? Do you think the bastards I brought are all gentlemen who won’t be tempted?”
5 E Ji waved her hand: “Didn’t young master want this concubine to find ways to entertain them well and win their hearts? There are too many women in our home, and with the previous preferential treatment for pregnant women making others envious, then discovering children receive special education from young master—reading, literacy, knife practice—those women couldn’t help wanting to have children.
5 But home has only those male slaves, all ugly and crooked; no one fancied them. Today, husband brings so many fine men at once. Those women told me: if they don’t leave seed before going, it’d be too much of a loss.”
5 Yun Ce gave a wry smile, feeling E Ji was both very right and very wrong. With his own lowly moral standards, he couldn’t render a proper judgment.
5 After coming out of the hot spring bathhouse, He Qingfang felt like she’d left something behind in the bath. After careful check, she found nothing missing.
5 Seeing Qin Shu sitting on a stone bench drinking ice-cold rice wine, she couldn’t hold back her anger, stepped forward, pinched his neck: “You groped that maidservant’s buttocks—you think I didn’t see?”
5 Qin Shu didn’t struggle, held the rice wine jar to He Qingfang’s lips: “Have a sip, it’s sweet.”
5 He Qingfang took a sip of the sweet rice wine, and the fire in her chest fully extinguished. She raised her hand to stroke her smooth cheek, saying to Qin Shu: “These years, I’ve wronged you, making you chew mud for so long.”
5 Qin Shu hugged He Qingfang’s slender waist and sighed: “Before, I thought this life could be discarded. Now, I’m somewhat reluctant.”
