Seeing her slender hands holding up the two night-shining pearls, Ming Lan showed a panic expression and screamed in a shrill voice, "Gu Yunxi, if you dare to make waves again."

He kept chattering but didn't stop getting closer.

Being not afraid of Ming Lan's approach, Gu Yunxi just smirked with a pair of narrowed eyes and hurled the pearls in her palms at him.

With a flicker of panic in his stern eyes, Ming Lan subconsciously dodged sideways.

One of the night-shining pearls hit a maid in the small of her back after rebounding from the wall. With a groan, she covered the painful spot with her hand and burst into tears.

Another night-shining pearl directly hit a eunuch on his forehead.

"Ouch!" The eunuch moaned and fell on his back, and a livid "horn" immediately showed on his forehead.

"You wicked girl."

Ming Lan couldn't help but curse at seeing Gu Yunxi's mischief.

His subordinates hurried to pick up the night-shining pearls rolling on the ground and humbly handed them to Ming Lan.

Ming Lan checked them nervously and lovingly. It almost killed him when he noticed the dents in various sizes in the pearls' smooth and round surface. He felt his brain in the buzz as if a swarm of bees was swarming around in his head.

This pair of pigeon egg-sized night-shining pearls was given by Wan Yuyao, the Imperial Noble Concubine, at the Western Depot's initial establishment.

Ming Lan ordered artisans to have them drilled and hung on the valance's fringes, for both decorating and showing off.

But now, this pair of priceless treasures became flawed for Gu Yunxi's flings and became valueless in terms of appreciation.

"What a naughty girl! You even dare to smash the royal rewards. It is contempt of the monarch!"

"Who cares. It was you that insisted on following me!"

Gu Yunxi made a face with her hands on her hips.

"You wicked girl."

Ming Lan raised his eyes fiercely, and his slender fingers pointed at Gu Yunxi and kept shaking in anger. As he had just rushed in front of her, some smell on her almost choked him.

Ming Lan couldn't help taking two steps backward while coughing violently. His delicately made-up face crumpled and showed a distressed expression now.

"Oh... Cough, cough..."

Turning his head to hold his nose, he said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Gu Yunxi, are you indeed a woman? Look at yourself. The beggars on the street are cleaner than you!"

Gu Yunxi responded with a sneer. She rolled her eyes and talked back, "Master Ming, are you indeed a man? You even made up your face like a woman. You are even more feminine than a woman!"

"You."

...

Enraged by her words, Ming Lan blushed and plumped out his cheeks. He heard faint snickers behind him.

He suddenly looked back and just caught the young eunuchs and maids with respectful looks not holding back the smile on their faces now.

"How dare you."

He scolded and flicked his sleeves angrily, and people immediately turned to be more solemn.

All of a sudden, Ming Lan realized that Gu Yunxi was deliberately provoking him to anger.

This sly pussycat is so crafty, and she must be planning some escape plot.

Ming Lan suppressed his anger. He put on a playful expression and stared at the girl in front of him evilly, "Do you want to make fun of the people in my mansion as monkeys just with your level of ability? Okay, you said that the maids didn't serve you well, and I will arrange two experienced servants for you. Ask Nanny Yan and Nanny Gui to come here!"

Not long after Ming Lan ordered, two shadows opened the door and stepped grandly into the house.

Gu Yunxi glanced at the two incoming people with disdain, but suddenly, she got shocked and felt a chill up her spine.

The two nannies who came in were typical northerners in their forties, big and burly, tall and robust.

The jasmine hair oil they used was too fragrant, and their bun was so polished that it could almost reflect others' images. Their round faces were covered by the thick white powder, with two pink blush clusters on the cheeks.

There seemed to be an indescribable funny when such a look added such a makeup.

With a gloomy face, Ming Lan ordered the two nannies, "Take her to bathe and change clothes. You must serve her well with all respect."

The two nannies nodded obediently and then stepped closer to Gu Yunxi.

"What, what are you doing?"

Gu Yunxi got bluffed by the stolid faces and stony silence of the two.

With a presentiment, she was about to step back, but the two's shadow had already towered over her.

Flinging her strong arms, Nanny Yan splayed her five fingers to catch Gu Yunxi. Gu Yunxi felt a shiver in her heart and hurriedly turned around to dodge, but she was in such a hurry that she stepped on the hem of her dress and lost her balance, leaning toward Nanny Gui on the side.

A fierce light flashed through Nanny Gui's eyes. With her withered hands, which looked like two powerful hooks, Nanny Gui grabbed Gu Yunxi's shoulders and lifted her light body from the ground in a blink of an eye.

"What are you doing? Put me down."

Gu Yunxi panicked and yelled at the top of her voice, scrabbling with her feet to struggle.

Ming Lan folded his arms on his chest, looking at her with a smile, "Well, you always refuse to give up until all hope goes. Behave well and take a shower later. If you make any trouble again, I'll replace the nannies with these eunuchs to serve you. There are so many capable people in my house that can serve you!"

As soon as Ming Lan finished, those eunuchs behind him all stared straight at Gu Yunxi, eyeing her with their appreciative or avid eyes.

Someone even started to imagine what she would look like naked. Thinking about all sorts of images, the one opened the mouth unconsciously, the dribble that hung over his mouth shining brightly.

"..."

Facing these people with strange expressions, Gu Yunxi felt awful.

Let these servants bathe her and touch her all over with their dirty hands? She would instead go to the grave.

Rolling her eyes a few times in panic, Gu Yunxi stopped struggling.

She hated Ming Lan and would never forget that he had used tricks to frame the Eastern Depot and Master Leng for several times.

But a wise person should know when to retreat.

"Now that the enemy outnumbers me, and I should fight wisely."

Thinking of it, Gu Yunxi blinked at Ming Lan and immediately softened her tone,

"Master Ming, please make nanny put me down. I will go to take a shower with them."

Well, she finally stopped calling him by his name but changed to call him "Master Ming" deferentially.

The pussycat would also be afraid after being taught a lesson.

Ming Lan felt sweet and pleased as if tasting honey.

She begged him so softly. He did not know how many times he had dreamed of such a scene!

Although Ming Lan felt happy in his heart, he showed no expression on his face. He turned his head and said to the two ferocious women,

"Serve the girl to wash up and put on new clothes, and take her back after dressing her up."

The two nannies nodded and then directly carried Gu Yunxi to the bathroom of the east wing-room under the gaze of so many eyes.

Watching the three get out, Ming Lan raised his thin blackened eyebrows and smiled suggestively.

He hooked his fingers, and immediately a eunuch came over respectfully, "Do you have any order, Master?"

Ming Lan rolled up his wide sleeves, and his eyes looking askance at outside were blazing with a greedy and urgent desire, "I'm tired today. You send someone to the Western Depot to inform An and ask him to guard carefully.

Clean up the house immediately, and after a while, I will go to tame the little wild cat well."

The eunuch soon understood and echoed with a flattering smile,

"I will prepare well immediately."

...

The bathroom of the east wing-room was spacious.

On the east side of the room was a basin stand made of mahogany, on which skillfully carved the exquisite design of gourds and rattans as the decorative pattern.

Next to it was a long table embossed with the picture of Eight Immortals crossing the sea, paired with two low stools made of mahogany.

Four screens stood on the north side of the room, and through the thin blue gauze of the lotus and cranes pattern, a bathtub and a deer-shaped copper incense burner were faintly visible.

Next to the window on the west side of the room, there was a mahogany cabinet with double doors.

On the south, a wide sandalwood couch was placed there.

The three boards around the couch got gorgeously inlaid with the jade, enamel, and mother-of-pearl in the tree, stone, and flower designs.

There was a meticulous painting of the Luo River goddess's bathing on the snow-white wall above the couch.

The person in the painting had beautiful features and a delicate figure. She stood gracefully in the middle of a clear pool, with her hair hanging down loosely and her slender arms raising gently.

Her half-naked charming appearance made people look at it flushed.

It seemed that Ming Lan was frivolous and indeed knew how to enjoy.

Gu Yunxi had some views in mind after a simple glance at the furnishings in the bathroom.

After taking a shower, he would likely lay on the soft couch with the fragrance of flowers and face the wall to appreciate the half-covered beauty portrait and enjoy a short erotic dream.

Feeling a sudden push on her back, Gu Yunxi turned her head and found it was the motion of Nanny Yan to urge her to round the screen as soon as possible.

The white steam was rising slowly from the deep elm bathtub, wetting her face and making her feel moist and comfortable.

The bathtub had two parts. The upper one was covered with waterproof tung oil both inside and outside, the outer of which was painted with gold-painted pictures of three friends in cold-weather. The pine, bamboo, and plum. On the lower part was a metal drawer with burning coal.

Such a double-layer bathtub that could store coal could keep the water warm for a longer time.

The two nannies stood by the tub, sandwiching Gu Yunxi between them, and directly began to tear off her red dress with their four big hands.

They took off the red yarn, revealing the girl's snow-white creamy skin and graceful curves.

Gu Yunxi had been eating papaya milk soup for so many days, and now she was in good shape.

The two nannies got stunned as soon as seeing it. They looked at each other, and then on their blank round faces finally showed a satisfied smile.

Nanny Gui took a low stool and placed it at Gu Yunxi's feet, saying with a stiff voice,

"Miss, please go into the tub to take a bath."

Gu Yunxi stood up straight proudly and stretched out her small snow-white hand towards her.

Irritably and reluctantly, Nanny Gui curled her lips and finally helped Gu Yunxi.

Gu Yunxi lifted her slender leg, stepped on the low stool, and suddenly jumped into the bathtub with a big splash, water splashing all over the two nannies.

"Oh, you..."

The two nannies wanted to flare up but didn't dare to make any noise that might alarm others. Gu Yunxi got amused by their expressions of irritation and reluctance.

"Hahaha..."

Looking at their half-wet dresses, she burst into a high-pitched laugh.

Gu Yunxi could only put her left arm on the side of the bathtub because the wound had not healed.

Nanny Yan had a violent temper. She directly tugged Gu Yunxi's hair with one hand and grabbed the handkerchief in the other hand to scrub Gu Yunxi's back fiercely.

"What are you doing! Why do you pinch me? Master Ming."

Gu Yunxi knew that they were bathing her, and the rude action simply resulted from their anger and resentment against her.

She yelled deliberately, her voice trembling with horror, "Help! They are bullying me! Ouch, the stab wound on my left arm doesn't recover yet!"

"Wicked girl, what are you talking about!"

Being wronged by Gu Yunxi, the two nannies hated her even more. Suddenly, a few knocks came from the outer of the west window, and a eunuch's feminine voice sounded, "What are you doing? You two, be gentle. If you hurt her, the Master will not forgive you"

"Sure, sure!" The two nannies sweating with anxiety, hurriedly nodded to the outside with a raised voice.

Then they turned their heads and coldly glared at Gu Yunxi, who was snickering in the water.

Nanny Gui grabbed Gu Yunxi's left wrist and threatened her with a lowered voice, "Naughty girl, our Master does care about you, but you cannot be haughty because of his love and indulgence. We'll teach you what regulations are in our mansion if you keep bothering us."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop. Bath me, please." Gu Yunxi immediately calmed down and leaned against the side of the tub, assuming a gesture of being at the mercy of them.

But in her heart, she was thinking about the next prank.