Chapter 123: Southern Garrison Command, Ye Hanshuang Also Wants New Clothes

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Southern Garrison Command, Ye Hanshuang Also Wants New Clothes

The banquet ended.

Song Youcai was in a foul mood. Ignoring his colleagues’ urgings not to "let a good bird fly the coop," he decided against spending the night at Qunfang Garden.

He stumbled his way home. The wind along the way had sobered him up considerably.

BANG! BANG! BANG! He leaned against the door, grabbed the knocker, and shouted, "Open up for your master, quickly!"

"Coming, coming." The gatekeeper opened the door and reached out to support the reeking Song Youcai. "Careful, my lord."

"Get off me." Song Youcai shoved the gatekeeper away, then waved off a maid who came to help him. He walked into his bedroom alone and, without lighting a lamp, made a beeline for the bed from memory, collapsing onto it and falling fast asleep.

Drinking too much inevitably leads to a full bladder.

In the middle of the night, Song Youcai was woken by the pressing need to urinate.

His drunkenness had completely faded, replaced by sheer drowsiness. Bleary-eyed, he got out of bed, grabbed the chamber pot, undid his belt, and began to relieve himself with a sigh of immense satisfaction.

"Squad Leader Song, you’ve finally had your fill of sleep."

A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Who’s there!" Song Youcai spun around abruptly.

A stream of urine shot straight ahead.

The figure sitting directly in front of him instinctively raised a hand to block it, then cursed, exasperated, before leaping up to dodge the stream.

"Who are you?" Song Youcai clamped down, cutting off the flow, and quickly pulled up his pants, tying his belt. His face a mask of vigilance, he began to move slowly, preparing to grab his saber.

Just then, the man whose hand had just been soaked by Song Youcai lit a lamp. The room was no longer pitch black, and Song Youcai could finally see the man’s face.

He was in his twenties, with an average build and unremarkable features. The most memorable thing about him was a black mole at the corner of his left eyebrow.

The man was disgustedly wiping his right hand with a handkerchief. "No need to be alarmed, Squad Leader Song," he said calmly. "I mean you no harm. You’ve been asleep for two solid hours. I’ve been waiting for quite a while."

"You snuck into my room before I even got home?" Song Youcai said, his eyes narrowing.

The young man snorted. "That’s right."

"Then why did you wait until I woke up to make a sound?" Song Youcai gave him a look like he was staring at a complete moron.

The young man was speechless. ’Was he supposed to tell Song Youcai it was because he thought it would be more intimidating?’

But clearly, the other man didn’t see it that way.

Song Youcai plopped back down on the bed. "Anyone who could do something so stupid... well, now I believe you don’t have any malicious intent. What do you want with me? But before we get to that, you should introduce yourself."

"Gu Mingshan, Squad Leader of the Southern Garrison Command." The young man pulled a waist token from his robes and tossed it to Song Youcai.

Song Youcai caught it and examined it. After confirming it was genuine, he tossed it back. "What would someone from the Southern Garrison Command want with me?" he asked, full of suspicion and unease. "I’m an honest official."

’His heart was pounding with apprehension.’

But on the surface, he remained composed.

"Squad Leader Song, you jest. If you’re an honest official, then there are no corrupt ones left in the world." Gu Mingshan sneered, pulling an envelope from his robes and tossing it over. "Do you think I’d come to you without evidence?"

Song Youcai caught the envelope, tore it open, and began to read the contents. His expression grew darker with every word.

It detailed the times, places, and amounts of several of his recent transactions of power for money.

"I also have the confessions of those who bribed you, Squad Leader Song. Care to see them?" Gu Mingshan asked.

Corruption in a feudal dynasty was as common as eating and drinking. It wasn’t a problem unless someone investigated you. But once they did, and they wanted to use it against you, it became a very big problem indeed.

Song Youcai snorted coldly and held up the envelope. "An investigation this detailed must have been going on in secret for a long time. And you say you have no malicious intent?"

’A cold sweat had already broken out on his back.’

’Men from the Southern Garrison Command had been operating in Tongzhou City all this time, and their Hundred Households hadn’t noticed a thing.’

"If I truly had malicious intent, I’d be arresting you right now, Squad Leader Song," Gu Mingshan replied, sitting down.

Song Youcai asked, "What do you want?"

"Our target isn’t you. It’s Pei Shaoqing. As long as you cooperate and help us gather evidence of his corruption, bribery, abuse of power, and disregard for human life, you will not only be cleared of wrongdoing, but you will be rewarded." Gu Mingshan stated his purpose, his tone full of seductive promise.

Song Youcai clenched his fists but gave a dismissive sneer. "You want to take down Lord Pei? What are your chances? Be careful you don’t overreach and end up losing everything."

"Nothing in this world is a hundred percent certain. Fifty percent is enough to take the gamble. Pei Shaoqing has people behind him, but if we dare to investigate him, do you think we don’t have powerful backers of our own?" Gu Mingshan said, looking completely confident.

Song Youcai’s expression flickered. After a moment of silence, he let out a breath and asked, "Why me?"

"Because you’re young and ambitious, but you’re neither a scholar nor a warrior. Your abilities are limited. You only got your position as Squad Leader because you were one of the first to pledge loyalty to Pei Shaoqing. But if you continue like this, you’ll eventually be marginalized," Gu Mingshan analyzed methodically.

’It’s one thing to analyze your own shortcomings, but it’s another to hear them from someone else’s mouth. The truth hurts the most.’

Taking in the change in his expression, Gu Mingshan chuckled and changed his tone. "But if you help us take down Pei Shaoqing, I can guarantee you the position of Hundred Households Commander!"

"Big words. Don’t forget, you’re just a Squad Leader yourself," Song Youcai retorted sarcastically.

Gu Mingshan laughed heartily. "I just told you, I have backers. Did you really think a mere Squad Leader like me would dare to investigate Pei Shaoqing? I’m just an errand boy. The ones calling the shots are my superiors."

"Has it not occurred to you that Lord Pei is the one who promoted me? That I wouldn’t betray him?" Song Youcai asked, taking a deep breath, his eyes filled with doubt.

Gu Mingshan looked as if he’d heard a joke. "Favors have different values," he said dismissively. "He made you a Squad Leader, but we can make you a Hundred Households Commander. Any smart man knows which to choose."

At these words, Song Youcai suddenly started to laugh.

"That’s right. Any smart man knows which to choose." He nodded in agreement, then asked, "But how can I trust that you have the power to keep your promise? What if you lose to Lord Pei? Won’t I be finished then?"

"I might as well tell you. This matter was ordered by Noble Consort Wan. My own Hundred Households Commander is here in person; he’s in Jin Guan City right now," Gu Mingshan answered with a look of immense pride.

Because Tongzhou was Pei Shaoqing’s territory, they hadn’t sent many people ahead to avoid tipping him off. Most of their forces remained in Jin Guan City.

Song Youcai sucked in a cold breath. "Noble Consort Wan!"

"That’s right! His Majesty’s most favored concubine, mother of the Ninth Prince, and daughter of the Marquis Pingxi." Gu Mingshan had expected this reaction. He rose and stepped forward. "Do you have any more reservations?"

"One last question." Song Youcai met his gaze and said in a low voice, "Aren’t you afraid that I’ll pretend to cooperate, then go tell Lord Pei and help him turn the tables on you?"

"It’s like I said, favors have different values." Gu Mingshan smiled, then his eyes flashed with killing intent. "Besides, what if you did? We’re only here to conduct a normal investigation based on rumors we’ve heard. Would Pei Shaoqing dare to have us killed? Even if he were innocent, that would make him guilty.

"So if things go south, the worst that can happen is we pull back and pretend it never happened. But you will definitely pay the price. On one hand, the position of Hundred Households Commander. On the other, a prisoner in chains. I believe Squad Leader Song is a smart man. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have seized the opportunity to rise up under Pei Shaoqing in the first place."

Song Youcai finally understood. Practically everyone in the Jing’an Guard was corrupt and abused their power. These people had chosen him because they thought he was a greedy, self-serving coward who would be easy to turn.

’Is that really the image I project to outsiders?’

He suddenly felt like a complete failure of a man.

"Fine, I agree." Song Youcai took a deep breath and consented. "What do you need me to do?"

"Squad Leader Song, you know how to read the situation. Just wait for my Hundred Households Commander’s instructions. I’ll take my leave now." Gu Mingshan laughed, then turned and left through the window.

Song Youcai got up and went to the window, his expression dark as he muttered curses. "Fuck, do you really think I only care about profit and have no loyalty? You people really don’t know how to judge character."

’And here he was, worrying about being marginalized.’

’He never expected an opportunity to prove his merit would arrive just like that.’

’Noble Consort Wan certainly sounded intimidating.’

’The temptation of a Hundred Households Commander position was indeed great.’

But Song Youcai hadn’t lost his head.

Even if he did cooperate with the Southern Garrison Command to take down Pei Shaoqing, never mind the retaliation from the Pei Family, his reputation would be ruined. Hundred Households Commander would be the highest he could ever go.

’But he wasn’t satisfied with just being a Hundred Households Commander!’

His abilities were limited, but that didn’t stop him from having vast ambitions.

Song Youcai didn’t make any rash moves. Instead, he closed the window and went back to sleep, worried that someone might be watching him.

...........

In the morning, Pei Shaoqing was up, dressed, and washing his face when Ye Hanshuang walked in. "Big Brother."

"What is it?" Pei Shaoqing asked casually, drying his face with a cloth.

Ye Hanshuang glanced at the maid, Qiu Ye.

Qiu Ye took the hint and left the room.

Only then did she start fidgeting with the hem of her dress and say shyly, "I want that kind of lingerie Lan’Er has."

Pei Shaoqing’s head snapped around to look at her.

He pictured the tall, voluptuous Ye Hanshuang—with her full hips and explosive bust—wearing erotic lingerie. His mouth instantly went dry. "How did you know about that?" he asked.

"I just saw her furtively hanging it out to dry. She said you gave it to her," Ye Hanshuang answered honestly, her tone tinged with jealousy.

’After all, her big brother used to think of her first whenever he got something good. But not anymore.’

Pei Shaoqing said, "You can’t wear a normal size. It would have to be custom-made. Go get a measuring tape, and I’ll take your measurements."

"Okay! Thank you, Big Brother." Ye Hanshuang beamed with joy, nodded, and ran out.

She returned in no time with a measuring tape.

The units on the tape were the traditional li, fen, and cun, but the markings were all in Arabic numerals.

Pei Shaoqing was already used to such things.

’There were many things in Jiuzhou that were familiar to him. Arabic numerals, for example, had been in use here for thousands of years.’

’The Ice Silk he was so fond of, according to Xie Qingwu, also had a history stretching back thousands of years.’

Their origins were lost to the mists of time.

Pei Shaoqing took the measuring tape. "Close the door."

Ye Hanshuang obediently went and closed the door.

"Undress," Pei Shaoqing said.

Though slightly embarrassed, Ye Hanshuang complied, peeling off her clothes layer by layer. Her fair, plump body was luscious without being heavy, and her skin had a faint pinkish hue.

Pei Shaoqing stepped forward to measure her.

"Arms up. Down. Apart."

"Turn your back to me."

Feeling the cold tape slide across her skin, Ye Hanshuang trembled slightly, images from the ’Women’s Secret Play Painting’ involuntarily flashing through her mind.

Pei Shaoqing quickly noticed her reaction.

Before Mount Xisai, white egrets fly,

By peach-blossom streams, plump perch swim by.

"Big Brother~" Ye Hanshuang’s eyes were silky with desire, her face a mask of yearning, hoping Pei Shaoqing would "instruct" her again.

But Pei Shaoqing pretended not to understand. He put away the measuring tape with a serious expression and said, "Alright, Sister Shuang. I’ll have Shopkeeper Qian custom-make a few pieces for you. Now, hurry up and get dressed for breakfast. I’m heading out."

With that, he walked out. ’He would wait until Ye Hanshuang’s custom lingerie was ready before devouring her.’

’Even the finest food needs beautiful packaging to seem more delicious. He was past the stage of eating just to sate his hunger; now, he pursued the enjoyment of a gourmet meal.’

Ye Hanshuang bit her red lip, her eyes filled with reproach.

’Big Brother was so mean.’

’He deliberately ignored her hints.’

Hmph!

’She wasn’t going to the Hundred Households today. She would just stay home and slack off.’