Chapter 120: Quality Inspector, the Master’s Wife’s Good and Dutiful Disciple

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Quality Inspector, the Master’s Wife’s Good and Dutiful Disciple

Xie Qingwu had gone into seclusion to practice Alchemy.

General Li also went into seclusion after receiving the Inner Core.

Pei Shaoqing had a servant take the fox pelt to Qian Wanguan, asking him to have it made into a shawl.

Then, he sent for Ye Guoyun.

"Greetings, Lord Hundred Households." Ye Guoyun arrived quickly, striding into the main hall and kneeling on one knee in salute.

Pei Shaoqing said gently, "You may rise."

"Thank you, my lord." Ye Guoyun rose and stood quietly in place, awaiting orders. He was full of doubt and apprehension about Pei Shaoqing’s sudden summons, not knowing if it was good news or bad.

After all, Pei Shaoqing had never met with him alone before.

Pei Shaoqing picked up his teacup, gently skimmed the foam with the lid, and said casually, "I remember when I was a Standard-Bearer, Guoyun, you were the oldest of my five squad leaders. Thirty-something, was it?"

"Thirty-three, my lord," Ye Guoyun answered respectfully, but he couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.

After all, Song Youcai, who was once lower in rank and younger than him, was now his equal, while Sun Youliang had even become his direct superior.

Yet after all these years, he was still stuck in the same place.

"Oh, thirty-three." Pei Shaoqing nodded as if in sudden realization, took a sip, then put down his teacup and said lightly, "I don’t expect to be promoted again anytime soon. That means there’s little room for you to advance under me. Would you be willing to transfer to the Thousand Households?"

’If I speak with Lu Dingchuan to make a spot for Ye Guoyun at the Thousand Households, then Wang Peng can fill his vacancy.’

’This would be my way of looking out for Ye Guoyun.’

’After all, there are definitely more opportunities at the Thousand Households.’

’And in the future, I’ll have a trusted man in the Thousand Households.’

’The reason I chose Ye Guoyun is that he’s one of my original five squad leaders, the oldest, and also the one most unwilling to settle for the status quo.’

Sure enough, the moment Pei Shaoqing finished speaking, Ye Guoyun dropped to his knees on the spot and said excitedly, "I thank you for your consideration, my lord! I will never forget your kindness!"

’Even though I’ll still be a squad leader at the Thousand Households...’

’The room for advancement is huge! And as someone sent by Lord Pei, the Lord Thousand Households will surely pay special attention to me. I won’t have to worry about a lack of opportunities to prove my merit.’

"Alright. I’ll write a letter to the Thousand Households today. Get yourself ready. Once the transfer orders come through, you’ll set off. Work hard when you get there. Don’t embarrass me," Pei Shaoqing instructed calmly.

Ye Guoyun touched his forehead to the ground with a THUD and said emotionally, "Please rest assured, my lord. I will certainly not let you down, and I will absolutely not fail to live up to your guidance."

"Go on, then." Pei Shaoqing smiled and waved his hand.

"Yes, this lowly one takes his leave." Ye Guoyun kowtowed heavily again, then, while still kneeling and bowed, shuffled backward on his knees. He only stood up when he reached the doorway, bowed once more, and then turned to leave.

Just then, the servant Pei Shaoqing had sent to deliver the fox pelt returned, carrying a heavy wooden box. "Master, Shopkeeper Qian asked me to give this to you. He said it’s the newly made clothes."

"Oh?" Pei Shaoqing, who had just picked up his teacup, lost all interest in his tea. He put down the cup, immediately went forward to take the wooden box, and said, "You are dismissed."

"Yes." The servant bowed and retreated.

Pei Shaoqing placed the wooden box on the table and eagerly opened it. Inside lay three sets of clothing made primarily from Ice Silk: one black, one white, and one blue.

The black one was a crotchless bodysuit, the kind that covered you from foot to hand, ensuring silky smoothness all over.

The white set consisted of a lace bra, side-tie panties with pearls inlaid in the center, and crotchless stockings.

The blue one was even more incredible: a Cross-collar Ruqun made of Ice Silk, with embroidery over three crucial points, designed to be tantalizingly sheer when worn.

Pei Shaoqing would bet General Li’s life that once such "attack speed" sets flowed into the Capital City, they would be wildly popular with the degenerate scoundrels of high society.

Because even for an old hand like him, who had tried all sorts of uniforms in modern society, seeing this kind of clothing again after so long still made his heart stir.

’Time to test the quality.’

Pei Shaoqing immediately made a beeline for Zhao Zilan’s room.

He barged right in without knocking.

"Ah! Young Master, what are you doing here?" Zhao Zilan was disrobing to bathe and change when he startled her. She fumbled to cover her collar and asked.

Pei Shaoqing closed the door and said, "I had some new clothes made for Lan’Er. Try them on for me."

"New clothes!" Zhao Zilan’s eyes lit up.

What girl doesn’t love new clothes?

Pei Shaoqing placed the box on the table with a grin. "Go on, open it and see if you like them."

"Thank you, Young Master." With a smile in her eyes, Zhao Zilan hastily tied her belt, not caring that her bodice was still mostly exposed, and opened the wooden box with excitement and anticipation.

The moment she saw the garments inside, her smile grew even brighter. "It’s Ice Silk!" she exclaimed with delight.

"That’s right." Pei Shaoqing walked over and hugged her from behind, his palm caressing her smooth, flat stomach.

Zhao Zilan shot him a coquettish glare, then reached for the black bodysuit. Her brows furrowed in confusion at first, then she tentatively unfolded it and held it against herself. Her face instantly flushed scarlet.

"Ah!" She tossed it back into the box as if it were a ravenous beast, turning back to him with a face red with both embarrassment and a hint of anger. "Young Master, you... you call this clothing? Even the girls in the brothels wouldn’t wear this!"

Just imagining herself in that outfit made Zhao Zilan burn with shame.

"They couldn’t afford it. Lan’Er, do you have any idea how much an outfit like this is worth?" Pei Shaoqing said, burying his face in the crook of her neck and nuzzling it.

Zhao Zilan let out a soft moan and lowered her head in resistance. "But... it’s too shameful."

"It’s not like I’m asking you to wear it out. It’s just for me to see. Hurry and change into it. I can’t wait to see what you look like," Pei Shaoqing coaxed.

Zhao Zilan bit her red lip, squirming to avoid his advances. "Young Master, Lan’er hasn’t bathed yet."

"It’s fine. Eighty-seven percent of a woman’s body is naturally fragrant," Pei Shaoqing said with a grin, stealing a kiss on her cheek.

Zhao Zilan asked, puzzled, "And the other thirteen percent?"

"Is slutty," Pei Shaoqing’s grin widened.

Zhao Zilan didn’t understand Pei Shaoqing’s wicked joke, and ultimately succumbed to his lecherous pressure, trying on all three outfits.

And then, he put her through the wringer.

Round after round, endlessly.

When Pei Shaoqing entered Zhao Zilan’s room, the sun was high in the sky. By the time he came out, the sky was filled with stars.

For the first time since he’d transmigrated, he felt his legs go weak, and he stumbled his way out.

"Someone! Quickly summon Shopkeeper Qian! And have the kitchen make a bowl of goji berry chicken soup—just the goji berries, hold the chicken!"

’These clothes are amazing. They’re soft, breathable, and cool against the skin. For their own good, of course, I’ve decided that from now on, my women will only be allowed to wear this kind of underwear.’

About half an hour later, a recovered "Inspector Pei" sat in the main hall, leisurely sipping his goji berry soup.

"This humble one, Qian Wanguan, greets you, my lord." Qian Wanguan entered with his head lowered, kneeling and speaking listlessly.

Seeing Qian Wanguan’s appearance, Pei Shaoqing almost spat out a mouthful of soup. His eyes widened as he blurted out, "This... Shopkeeper Qian, what happened to you? It’s only been half a month, how have you become so haggard?"

The Qian Wanguan before him had lost a significant amount of weight. He had deep, dark bags under his eyes, his lips were dry, and his face was pale.

"I dare not deceive you, my lord. In order to produce the best ’QingQu’ lingerie, this humble one has been losing sleep and appetite, staying up all night," Qian Wanguan said with a heavy sigh.

As a fellow "quality inspector," Pei Shaoqing sneered and exposed his lie on the spot. "I imagine you were ’testing the quality of the samples’ all night, weren’t you?"

"Er... My lord is wise. This humble one did not mean to deceive you, it was just... difficult to speak of." Qian Wanguan admitted it frankly. A sharp glint appeared in his previously listless eyes as he said, "This humble one now wholeheartedly believes what my lord said about this stuff selling like hotcakes!"

’God only knew how he had survived the last couple of weeks.’

’Although there were only a few styles for now, and he’d surely get tired of them after a while—it’s not like modern people who can switch styles whenever they want.’

’But he had many concubines. He could just switch the person!’

’Having different people wear the same outfit gave him a different thrill each time. So, for this whole period, the poor old man had to toil through the night!’

"Consume fewer samples and hurry up and make more. I’m going to the capital at the end of the month for the Mid-Autumn Imperial Banquet at the palace. It’ll be a perfect opportunity to present them as gifts to His Majesty and some other nobles, and quickly build a reputation in the capital."

Pei Shaoqing instructed with a stern, serious face.

"Yes, yes, my lord’s criticism is right. It’s wine and women that lead one astray. From this day forward, this humble one will abstain from alcohol! I absolutely won’t let it interfere with business!" Qian Wanguan said, bowing and scraping.

Pei Shaoqing grunted in acknowledgment and added, "Weren’t there two other styles? Send a sample set of each over for me. I’ll see if there are any improvements to be made."

"Er... This humble one obeys. I’ll have to trouble you then, my lord," Qian Wanguan said, thanking him with a solemn expression.

That very night, he had someone deliver a sleeveless, suspender-style bodysuit and another one with an attached puppy tail.

.........

「The next morning.」

"You... you call this clothing? How absurd!"

Liu Yuheng shot to her feet, her face flushed red, and threw the Ice Silk Cross-collar Ruqun from her hands.

"The Young Master made me wear it. He also said from now on I’m only allowed to wear this underneath," Zhao Zilan said with her head lowered and a slight blush, looking aggrieved.

"He’s so... so shameless!" Liu Yuheng snapped, her face red. ’To come up with such garments to spice things up in bed, and then to force Lan’er to wear them underneath her normal clothes... If that’s not shameless, what is?’

Zhao Zilan said meekly, "Shiniang, it’s actually quite comfortable. It’s cool and refreshing, smooth, thin, and breathable. Anyway, no one can see it when it’s worn underneath. I have another one the Young Master sent over this morning that I haven’t worn. Why don’t I give it to you? You could try it?"

"Pah! I would never!" Liu Yuheng refused instinctively, but as she looked at the exquisite embroidery on the Ice Silk, she couldn’t help but ask, "Is it really comfortable?"

’Although the clothing looked indecent, it was exquisitely made and felt wonderful to the touch.’

"Mhm, mhm, mhm." Zhao Zilan nodded repeatedly.

Liu Yuheng’s face was crimson. She hesitated primly for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Well... let’s give it a try then."

Zhao Zilan quickly fetched a white, sleeveless bodysuit from her room and handed it to Liu Yuheng.

Liu Yuheng took it with a bashful face and went behind the screen, changing with a RUSTLE, RUSTLE of fabric. Even though she felt ashamed just looking at herself, it was indeed very comfortable to wear.

She took a deep breath, wrapped her heavy Cross-collar Ruqun over it, and tied her belt, only sighing in relief after confirming that no one could tell what she was wearing underneath.

"Shiniang, isn’t it comfortable?" Zhao Zilan asked, seeing Liu Yuheng walk out, her face beaming as if expecting praise.

Liu Yuheng responded with a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, then praised her seriously, "Lan’er, you’re very thoughtful."

"It’s only right to be dutiful to Shiniang," Zhao Zilan giggled, a playful glint in her eye. "And you can be ’dutiful’ to Shifu too. I’m sure he’ll like it."

"What nonsense are you spouting, you little minx! How dare you joke with your elders!" Liu Yuheng chided, her face flushing red.

"Oops! I misspoke!" Zhao Zilan ducked her head and immediately turned to flee. "I’m leaving now, Shiniang!"

"That girl, she has no filter," Liu Yuheng muttered resentfully at her retreating back, but then she let out a quiet sigh, a hint of bitterness on her face.

’Any normal man would be delighted to see her in such shameful clothes, but Senior Brother would just put on a stern face and seriously reprimand her, telling her to change.’

’So, she’d just wear it for her own comfort, as a replacement for her bodice and undershorts. She would never dare let her Senior Brother know.’

’Thinking of all the ways Pei Shaoqing went out of his way to tease and play with Zhao Zilan, she found her previous annoyance and shyness slowly turning into a kind of envy. Perhaps this was how a couple’s private fun was supposed to be to make it more interesting?’