Maybe because Shiliu was born ugly, when she shouted in scariness at Gu Yunxi, her expression appeared even uglier. As expected, she stopped Gu Yunxi from resisting.

Just as she stopped struggling, a maid beside her stretched out her big hand to buckle Gu Yunxi's jaw, forcing her small mouth to open.

"Umm..."

A depressed groan rose from Gu Yunxi's throat. Her expression was extremely painful.

Seeing this, Shiliu was satisfied. Her smile appeared grimmer.

Her twisted waist bent forward and arched like a straight hook. Smiling coldly with teeth bared, Shiliu took the porcelain basin closer to Gu Yunxi's face.

"There is plenty of betel nut alkali water here. We specially warmed it for you to clean your mouth and body. Please enjoy it!"

Gu Yunxi opened her eyes wide in astonishment. She gazed primly at the water in the big porcelain basin to fall upon her face.

She wanted to shout and stop her, but her mouth was forced to open. Apart from muffling, she couldn't utter a single word. She could do nothing but look at the cooled betel nut water pouring upon her.

Gu Yunxi closed her eyes painfully. She only felt that a cold, alkaline liquid filled her nose and mouth, choking her to cough severely and heaving her chest.

At last the maid let go her chin, and the big hands that had bound her limbs were removed.

They all surrounded Gu Yunxi. More than a dozen of cruel and sharp eyes was fixed on her in the water on the ground.

Most of the betel nut water was spit and sprinkled. Only five sips of water were truly swallowed.

But it was enough to wet Gu Yunxi's body. The discomfort in her stomach was like a sharp knife cutting her flesh. She lay on the ground in a daze, unable to get up again.

Shiliu threw away the empty porcelain basin. Some cold light was emitted from her eyes.

"Girl, your clothes are dirty again. I'll ask the maids to take you to the bathroom.

Don't blame me for what happened just now. You ate too much onion and garlic. The turbid gas was accumulated in your organs. If only your mouth had been cleaned, the taste would still have come out with sweat.

When the Master comes and smells it, it won't be good. Only by washing your stomach with the thick betel nut water can you remove the smell."

These people, who had been working in the kitchen for years, had the most comprehensive knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of food materials and their mutual promotion and restraint.

They had the most unique and effective set of tricks to match the suitable food ingredients with the smell caused by certain ingredients that they wanted to remove.

Gu Yunxi was full originally, but now as she was forced to swallow several sips of betel nut water by Shiliu, there was a dull sting in her swollen belly. That was the effect of the concentrated alkali.

Seeing Gu Yunxi wringing her body like a worm and lying on her back with hands over her lower abdomen, completely powerless to struggle again, Shiliu told those maids to carry Gu Yunxi to the bathroom and drop her back into the tub.

Under the porch, Shiliu met Xiao Nianzi, who was shadowing her in the dark. She then straightened out her flat chest and said complacently.

"I have cleaned her for you. Be quick, and let the servants change the bed and table sheets in the Master's room."

Xiao Nianzi smiled, shaking his head. He gave Shiliu a thumbs-up and praised.

"While the priest climbs a post, the devil climbs ten. Sister Shiliu, you are really good at dealing with things.

Speaking of the girl, oh... even the Master didn't know what to do with her!"

"Humph!"

Seeing Xiao Nianzi's frustrated look, Shiliu's ugly features drooped, looking rather unhappy.

She patted her flat chest several times with her peeling palm, saying primly.

"That's because the Master loves her, he is reluctant to do that. But I don’t have a tender heart for her.

Lord Nian, what do you think is good about that girl? Isn't she just whiter than me, with longer, darker hair?

If I put on some makeups, I will look as pretty as her! And look! Here is bigger than hers if I straighten up!"

While complaining, Shiliu put her hands on her chest and tried her best to straighten up, as if she were to bend the spine to broken.

Ignoring Xiao Nianzi's ashamed and disgusted expression, she took out the handkerchief and sobbed in front of him.

"Just as the saying goes, I send my true will to the moon, but the moon shines on the ditch. I love the Master, and all of you in this mansion know it.

I am beautiful both externally and internally. I was just born at a bad time, and have no chance to be alone with the Master.

Now, the extraneous little girl dared to commandeer the Master's bedroom. The next thing she will do must be to take the advantage and commandeer the Master himself.

Ah! So unfair! God is too unfair to me! The Master and I love each other. How can that girl come and sleep directly in the Master's bedroom?!"

"What are you talking about?"

Hearing Shiliu's passionate words, Xiao Nianzi almost laughed to tears. He asked in turn.

"Sister Shiliu, how do you say that you and the Master love each other? How do you know that? Did he show his love to you?"

Shiliu didn't wipe her face anymore. She stirred the handkerchief back and forth with her thick radish-like fingers. Half shy and half proud, the expression on her ugly face was really strange and abrupt.

"You know how unusual the Master is. He will naturally show some arrogance instead of directly showing his love to me.

But every time he passed the kitchen and saw me washing the vegetables, he would look at me for a long time and smiled at me.

That kind of eyes was so tender and affectionate. How can't I know the implications?"

Hearing this, Xiao Nianzi frowned and smiled bitterly.

Shiliu did misunderstand the implications.

The Master did pass the kitchen several times. By then, Xiao Nianzi had been serving him with other servants. Also, he once saw Shiliu in the kitchen.

Xiao Nianzi didn't know whether Master Ming had ever smiled to her or not, but he clearly remembered that the Master laughed and said to his servants while walking.

"Look at the girl washing vegetables. How ugly she is!"

Xiao Nianzi didn't tell her the truth. As it was late, he asked two servants to enter Ming Lan's room and change the bed and table sheets.

Shiliu returned to the bathroom and supervised the maids to clean Gu Yunxi's body.

This time a variety of perfumes were put into the tub. They mixed so well that no one could figure out any specific odor.

That mingled fragrance was like pine, sweetgum, lilac and agilawood.

Generally, the strange odor produced by a mixture of all sorts of perfumes smoked Gu Yunxi to brain pain.

As she looked down again, there was a ring of large hands around the rim of the round tub.

The rough, fleshy, pig-skinned pink palms, a few of which were even dry to the point of peeling, made Gu Yunxi dizzy. She felt the stomach nauseating and just wanted to vomit.

I, Gu Yunxi, was receded into the background, even teased by such inferior maids. She thought agonizingly.

It seemed that the methods of disciplining Nanny Yan and Nanny Gui could not be applied to these vulgar servants at all.

Up to now, she could only take one step at a time and play it by ear...

...

Just after noon, Leng Qingtang left Master's Mansion in sedan and rushed to the Eastern Depot.

It would be a tough battle to suppress two martial gangs in Mount Ruyi. Now that the Eastern Depot was intervened, they must succeed.

To make the action fail-safe, Leng Qingtang held an emergent battle meeting after arriving at the Eastern Depot. He dispatched the troops and deployed an action plan.

After the night fell, Leng Qingtang would lead five teams of more than one thousand troops out of the capital in person to the border of the neighboring province, Mount Ruyi, as an ambush.

After the death of Jiang Xiong, the seventh captain of the Eastern Depot, Leng Qingtang had sent some guards to the hometown of Captain Jiang. They would send Jiang Xiong's bones to his family, together with a considerable sum of severance.

Then he assigned a guard of Jiang Xiong, named Shi Lei, as the new seventh captain.

Soon after the meeting was over, one jailor from the Royal Prison came to tell him that Rui Yanwan was injured so seriously that she had just passed away in the cell.

Leng Qingtang then asked the jailor to secretly falsify a confession according to his words, press the fingerprint of Rui Yanwan on the confession and keep it for later use.

As for her body, it could just be rolled up in the broken mat cylinder and thrown away.

After the jailor left, Chiliarch Cheng Wanli asked the Master.

"Lord, do you have any plans?"

Leng Qingtang showed a cold smile with his delicate reddish mouth, raised his eyebrows and said.

"After our task in Mount Ruyi is over, let's go to Kunning Palace. It's time for me to have a chat with the Empress.

I will use Rui Yanwan to force her to resume my position as the Seal Keeper of the Imperial Ceremony Office..."

As he spoke, a purple figure flashed in from outside. He stood in front of the Master, bowed after a salute, and said in a tone full of impatience and anxiety.

"Master, sister Yunxi is still under Ming Lan's control!"

It was Xiao Xiaoshen who came and spoke. Hearing that Squad Five would set out, he couldn't keep calm anymore, so he burst into the main hall and decided to ask the Master directly.

Some faint light was reflected from Leng Qingtang's dark eyes. He frowned, looked straight at Xiao Xiaoshen and said slowly.

"I will take her out of Ming Lan's Mansion safely, but not today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"But she has been in Ming Lan's Mansion for quite a few days. Aren't you worried about her!?"

Unable to oppress his inner anxiety, Xiao Xiaoshen tilted and fixed his eyes on the Master, who looked unperturbed on the opposite. He raised his voice a little.

"Xiaoshen! You are so out of line."

On the side seat, Cheng Wanli stared at his apprentice Xiao Xiaoshen angrily, reproaching him in a harsh tone.

Leng Qingtang was as calm as usual, without showing any anger. He said unhurriedly.

"Xiaoshen, I have my own reason to do so. I knew it clearly that you had broken the rules several times and taken action without my permission.

You are my close guard. I let you join us in this task to prevent you from acting on your own and running into trouble.

Since you have been together with me for many years, you should have some trust in me."

Xiao Xiaoshen lowered his voice suddenly. His bright eyes were fixed on the Master's unruffled eyes.

The Master's eyes were as dark as the bottomless abyss. From the deep and quiet expression, they emerged more coldness and oppression.

The imposing manner, overwhelming yet without any rage, made him a little frightened.

Xiao Xiaoshen suddenly felt cold throughout his body. His strong questioning attitude just now disappeared in an instant.

He lowered his eyes in panic, daring not to resist against the Master. All the words that he was about to say were taken back by him.

"Sorry, I am too reckless. I know I am wrong!"

Xiao Xiaoshen knelt down and kowtowed.

"Please punish me."

Leng Qingtang sighed and waved his hand.

"Go and have a rest for a while. We will start our journey as soon as it turns dark."

"Yes."

Xiao Xiaoshen stood up, hesitated for a while and went out of the main hall slowly.

It was silent around again.

Yet Leng Qingtang was sitting primly on the main seat, lowing his head without saying anything.

Surrounded by the yellow light of the setting sun, his tall figure appeared pale and lonely.

Feeling restless in his heart, he prayed silently.

Girl, hold on for a second. Wait for me to come back.

Cheng Wanli sat beside him, still. He found the Master's expression was strange, as if lost in thought for something.

Knowing his thoughts clearly, he didn't dare to disturb him, so he just accompanied him on the side.