Although Xiaoyan’s expression seemed angry on the surface, there was a glint of delight in her eyes. She was clearly happy with the performance that the female soldiers had put on. Just as she was about to finish up the whole act, Chu Lian suddenly spoke up.
“What they said is right. There must always be a start and an end to things. Since you’re here to help my husband wash his clothes under the orders of General Sima, then you should finish washing them before you leave!”
Xiaoyan had been expecting Chu Lian to stomp her foot in a tantrum. She hadn’t expected Chu Lian to calmly order her subordinates to continue instead.
Xiaoyan parted her mouth to retort, but she realised that she couldn’t find a reason to reject that order.
It was like trying to eat a peach: the peach looked fresh, juicy, and fragrant, but in her haste to eat it, she realised that she had bitten off more than she could chew and was about to choke herself.
The two female soldiers were also clearly shocked. They gaped in silence as they lost their composure.
Seeing how the two soldiers hadn’t moved, Chu Lian turned to the female adjutant and frowned.
The female adjutant’s heart thumped. She could only grit her teeth and order her trusted subordinates to continue washing the clothes. It was only after finishing that they would return to their camp to get punished.
The two female soldiers could only lower their heads and continue washing the clothes. However, their moods were markedly different from earlier.
The hot washing water had already cooled down. They were standing at the entrance of the tent, so cold winds were blowing little flakes of snow at them. When they soaked their hands in the icy water, they ached from the cold. However, even so, they could only grit their teeth and bear with it for now.
Chu Lian entered He Changdi’s tent without a second look back at the female soldiers.
The expression of Captain Guo’s adjutant hadn’t changed during the whole event, staying shocked and dazed. Now that it was over, he scratched the back of his head and beamed with a silly smile. Although Honoured Lady had only said a single line during that whole scene, why did it feel like all his frustrations had been vented for him?
Their Right Wing Army normally also suffered from the bullying of these ‘tyrant flowers’.
It wasn’t until Chu Lian and her party had entered the tent that the two female soldiers dared to lift their heads up. One of them called out in an aggrieved voice, “Sister Xiaoyan! This water is so cold!”
The female adjutant gritted her molars and glared at the closed tent flap. She squatted down and reassured them. “Sorry I’ve gotten you involved in this mess. I’ll wash these together with you so we can finish up faster. That way you can return to camp earlier to rest.”
The female soldier who had spoken up made a feeble sound of agreement and the three women started washing the clothes together.
The aggrieved female soldier was Xiaoyan’s very own little sister. Xiaoyan normally spoiled her, and her little sister had never suffered much at all. Xiaoyan usually kept her well-protected under her wings, so she couldn’t bear to see her little sister suffer even the tiniest bit of grievance.
There actually weren’t many clothes in the basin- just three pieces in total. They each took one and managed to finish washing them quickly. Even though the washing water was ice cold, it was still bearable for that short moment.
Just as the three of them had finished washing the clothes and were about to pour away the water, the tent flap suddenly opened from the inside and Wenlan tossed a whole bunch of clothes into the wooden basin.
“These are all the dirty clothes that Honoured Lady found in the tent. I’m guessing that you must have missed them earlier. Why don’t you just wash them all together?”
After Wenlan finished speaking, she turned around and entered the tent again, leaving behind three dazed women.
One of the female soldiers looked at the small pile of clothes that the wooden basin was struggling to contain. Her lip trembled as she caught sight of a thick and heavy cloak in the basin.
How were they going to wash such a heavy cloak?!
The female soldier was on the verge of tears. “Sister Xiaoyan! Let’s not wash these anymore! Let’s go back!”
They had been the ones to claim that they were washing the clothes under General Sima’s orders in the first place, how could they disobey their ‘orders’ at this point? Xiaoyan knew that Honoured Lady Jinyi was showing them that she wasn’t to be bullied. However, she didn’t have anything to counter the Honoured Lady. Helpless, she could only do her best to finish the task that had been so unceremoniously dropped on them.
“Stop talking. Save your strength for washing!”
