Senior Servant Zhong’s letter was written as if she were talking, devoid of any flowery language.
As he read, He Sanlang could clearly feel Senior Servant Zhong’s joy and gratitude.
This was what was written in the letter.
“This old servant didn’t know about Third Young Madam’s great culinary skills. The meals in Songtao Court are different every time. Third Young Madam understands and sympathises with us lowly servants, so this old servant was also blessed with the chance to taste her delicious food. With this old servant’s age and old teeth, it was the shredded chicken noodles that suited my tastes the most. No, no, there were also the silver floss flower rolls… the poria mushroom buns were good, too. After living for so long, it was the first time this old servant experienced such appetite! This old servant has to be frank; the hour that this old servant looks forward to the most is meal time…”
There was still a huge paragraph at the end. Perhaps it was because Senior Servant Zhong couldn’t stop writing once she started talking about Third Young Madam’s cooking. When she finally came to her senses and realised that she had written far too much, the only thing she could do was forcefully change the topic.
“Third Young Madam is someone who likes to eat a lot. While Third Young Master is at the northern border, please don’t worry about Third Young Madam’s health. Young Master, please take care of yourself and eat more every day…”
He Changdi felt the urge to spit up blood; he barely managed to rein in his frustrations. This Senior Servant Zhong! After mentioning so many delicious dishes, she actually told him to eat more! Couldn’t she remember that he was in the bitter north? There was nothing to eat here!
He Sanlang looked down at the fermented milk before him and suddenly felt like it was too hard to swallow.
That wicked woman was poisonous indeed!
She actually used food to bribe his people over!
He Sanlang’s handsome face contorted. He secretly decided to remind Senior Servant Zhong in his next reply not to forget her orders after eating that wicked woman’s cooking. She wasn’t supposed to be bought over that easily!
Finally, he read about the whole fiasco at the Dingyuan Estate. He Sanlang’s eyes dimmed down considerably.
The hand that was holding the letter tightened.
How could this be? The series of events at the Dingyuan Estate had turned out completely different…
That wicked woman had actually gotten connected to Royal Princess Duanjia because of that?
He Changdi suppressed the shock in his heart and quickly thought up a plan.
In the last paragraph, Senior Servant Zhong rebuked Chu Lian a little for not knowing how to manage her finances. According to Senior Servant Zhong, Chu Lian had used a flimsy reason like her birthday to bestow rewards upon every servant in the courtyard.
Birthday? Rewards?
He Changdi knew exactly when Chu Lian’s birthday was, of course. However, there was no need to help celebrate the birthday of a woman he hated so much. It seemed she was still able to entertain herself without him though, whimsically rewarding the servants like that. When he read in Senior Servant Zhong’s letter that she herself had gotten a pair of golden earrings and a golden ring, He Changdi snorted coldly.
Contempt filled his heart. Did she think that a small gift like that would be able to win the loyalty of the servants he ordered to watch her?
Dream on!
He Sanlang didn’t know why he was getting so angry. Wasn’t his hatred bone-deep already? He should be accustomed to her wicked schemes by now…
In this life, he wanted to be a strong lion, hiding and biding his time with all the cards in his hand. But in reality, he had never been able to hold back his anger; time and time again, he impulsively leaped straight into a blinding rage, and it was all thanks to that wicked woman.
It was as if his self-restraint disappeared and he lost his temper the moment he noticed that she did anything differently from his previous life.
He knew about the pitiful state of Chu Lian’s dowry immediately after she married into the Jing’an Estate. In his past life, he had helped by adding to it. In this life, he wanted to see her suffer!
Didn’t she like rewarding the servants to feed her own ego?
In that case, he would eagerly wait for the day she spent all of her family fortune.
Off to the side, Laiyue had been carefully watching his master’s expression. His curiosity was eating him alive. He wanted to know what was going on with his young master, or why his expression was changing so much during the course of reading one single letter. From clear rage to savage vindictiveness, and then a cold sneer… Laiyue shrunk back into himself. Despite the day’s blazing weather, he felt chills roll down his spine.
As if he knew what He Changdi was going to do, the barbarian man stood up and personally fetched a brush and paper. He Changdi sent a look towards the two people next to him, and they moved to stand off to one side.
When He Changdi was done with his reply, he sealed it in an envelope and passed it to the barbarian man. The barbarian man nodded and carefully slid the envelope into his clothes.
He Changdi and Laiyue rested for a while longer inside the tent. Eventually, the woman who had left earlier returned with the young teen looking after the horses. He was carrying a giant wooden tub as he came in.
The teenager walked in and out of the tent, carrying buckets of hot water and filling up the wooden tub. Laiyue finally realised that this was probably meant for the young master to bathe.
When everything was done, only Laiyue remained in the tent to serve his master.
He Changdi soaked in the bathtub, letting out a comfortable sigh. His long arms were placed on the sides of the tub, showing off his growing muscles. He didn’t look too slender in his clothes either. Laiyue used a cloth to wipe his master’s back. When he was done washing his master’s hair, Laiyue noticed the stubble on his face. He took out a razor he always carried with him, and was about to help his young master shave it off.
He Changdi noticed his movements and pushed him away. “There’s no need to shave my stubble. Leave it like this.”
Ah?
Laiyue froze up a little. The standards of beauty in the Great Wu Dynasty were similar to that of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Men with fair skin would have plenty of admirers. Thus, in the brothels, the male prostitutes would add powder onto their faces to make themselves more fair.
This happened not only in the brothels, but even some noble sons would apply powder before heading out to meet their friends. Some would even wear flowers in their hair. The young nobles didn’t much like leaving a beard, either.
It was because of this aesthetic that Xiao Bojian could attract so many admirers with his feminine looks.
While He Sanlang didn’t imitate those other men by adding flowers to his hair, he would always keep a clean appearance. He was born handsome, without appearing too feminine. His heroic and manly appearance, coupled with his slightly cool, arrogant aura made him appear haughty, but in an elegant manner rather than an outrageous one. It was enough to make the hearts of his admirers beat wildly.
However, that once handsome face was now half-covered with black stubble. There was nothing good-looking about it now.
Due to He Changdi’s volatile emotions today, Laiyue didn’t dare disobey his order and did not shave his stubble. He could only put the razor away.
