Rong Zhi was unbound and, along with several other girls, was led to the room where they had been held. Inside were bathing tubs and new clothes, and Li Guaizi ordered them to wash and change there.
After the door was closed, the three girls took turns bathing. Only Rong Zhi remained. Rong Zhi looked at her own injuries and gritted her teeth before stepping into the tub. To make her disguise believable, she had asked Chu Qing Ze to whip her to create similar wounds. Now, the pain from the wounds was excruciating as the hot water seeped in. She knew she would be searched upon entering the general's mansion and had brought no medicine, so the pain was intensely sharp.
Just as she was about to put on her clothes, a scream suddenly rang out from outside the door.
It turned out that Li Guaizi, overcome with lust as the girls bathed, had kicked down the door. He was now pinning Xia He and Qiu Ju to the ground, while Dong Mei had hidden in a corner.
Rong Zhi frowned. She found a small stone in a corner of the room and was about to use her internal energy to throw it when she heard Dong Mei shout.
"How dare you! They are all meant to be concubines for the general. If you harm them, be careful the general doesn't have your head cut off!" Her voice trembled, but her tone was firm.
Upon hearing this, Li Guaizi's face twitched. It was true there were rumors that the general's mansion bought girls to be concubines, but these were just speculations. This girl was actually threatening him!
"You dare to scare me? You..."
"If you hit me today, when I become an imperial concubine someday, I'll have the general flay your skin and tear out your tendons. The general's mansion will be here to collect them soon. What will you do if they can't find anyone?"
Her reasoning was sound, and she genuinely managed to bluff Li Guaizi. He released the two girls and stomped out, cursing.
"Dong Mei!" The two girls, as if finding their backbone, rushed towards her.
Rong Zhi thought the girl was quite courageous. She hadn't even entered the general's mansion yet and was already using Xia Yun Ting's name to intimidate people.
She quietly put on her clothes, remaining silent. Time was short, and she only had time to make a hastily drawn mask. If it was discovered later, it would be problematic, so she hid in a corner after changing.
"Chun Tao, how is your injury? You just got hurt and then soaked in water, your wound will fester," said the girl with slender eyes, looking at Rong Zhi with concern.
Rong Zhi whispered, "It's fine."
Footsteps suddenly sounded outside, and Li Guaizi's voice, full of flattery, said, "Don't worry, they are absolutely clean girls, and beautiful too. It was agreed beforehand, so I can't go back on my word and ruin my reputation."
"That's good." The voice was familiar. As the door opened, Xia Jin's old face appeared.
"You four, come with me!"
Rong Zhi found his presence rather curious. The general's mansion truly handled everything themselves. The general personally caught spies, but it was surprising that buying a few maids would warrant the head steward's personal visit.
Rong Zhi, along with the others, bowed their heads and boarded a carriage. The carriage bumped along until it reached the general's mansion's rear garden. As the four of them alighted, an old governess was already waiting.
It was an old acquaintance, none other than Madam Gu, the dowry governess of Xing Jia Hui!
She wore a brand-new outfit. Seeing the girls approach, she lazily lifted her eyelids. Dong Mei, being very quick-witted, immediately knelt down.
"Greetings, Madam."
The other two girls, Xia and Qiu, followed suit. Rong Zhi had no choice but to do the same.
Xia Jin showed Madam Gu the four indentured servitude contracts. Madam Gu nodded and said to the girls, "My surname is Gu. You will call me Madam Gu from now on. Since you are here, you must abide by the rules. If you make even the slightest mistake, don't blame me for punishing you. Do you know what you are here for?"
"Yes, we are here to serve the general and the general's wife," Dong Mei answered first.
"Pah!" Madam Gu's face showed disdain.
"What are you? How dare you claim to serve the general? You haven't even seen the general yet, and you're already harboring such lustful thoughts. People like you are exactly why we beat them. Come, beat her for me!"
Two young attendants appeared from the sides and held Dong Mei down on the ground. They beat her repeatedly with boards as thick as a thumb. Before long, blood appeared.
Dong Mei's screams were incessant.
Rong Zhi looked around and noticed that many newly planted flowers and trees had been transplanted here. However, being autumn, they were bare of flowers and leaves, appearing rather desolate.
Madam Gu dared to be so arrogant; it was clear she had someone backing her. She had often heard that Xing Jia Hui loved to admire flowers, so it seemed Xing Jia Hui had already entered the general's mansion.
Indeed, she hadn't realized it until she came here. The last time she had entered, she had been completely unaware.
"What are you thinking? I'm talking to you!" A sharp pain on her back told Rong Zhi she had been whipped without her noticing.
She quickly knelt on the ground, "Madam, spare me. Your servant was injured by Li Guaizi and the pain caused me to forget your teachings. Please forgive me."
Xia and Qiu also pleaded for her, "Yes, Madam, she is severely injured."
"I don't care if you're injured or not. If you don't listen carefully to what I teach, you'll be whipped. Come, walk around!"
It turned out the governess was demonstrating how to walk at home.
Rong Zhi complied. In her past life, she had traveled extensively and even disguised herself to enter the backyards of wealthy families. She knew that maids' movements and gestures had to be trained, so she learned with ease. However, she didn't want to reveal any unusual traits, so she deliberately imitated the other three girls and made no major mistakes.
As evening approached, Rong Zhi and the others were assigned to the maids' quarters. All the girls complained of aching backs and legs.
"Dong Mei, does it still hurt?" Rong Zhi asked, seeing Dong Mei silently making her bed. She couldn't help but ask.
She found this girl a bit peculiar, as if she had lived in a deep, wealthy household before.
Dong Mei's answer confirmed her suspicion.
"It doesn't hurt. When I was at Mr. Zhang's house, it was even more painful than this."
Mr. Zhang was likely her former employer. Rong Zhi understood.
"Dong Mei, is it true that we have a chance to become imperial concubines?" Xia and Qiu asked, rubbing their feet, their eyes filled with a hint of yearning.
"Does it matter if it's true or not? As long as we have the means, we can achieve it."
Rong Zhi's eyes showed admiration. This girl was ambitious. She probably understood why Dong Mei had left her previous employer; perhaps she had left with similar intentions and was driven out by the madam.
Rong Zhi looked out the window. It was pitch black outside, and she could still sense a strong killing intent.
Now that she was inside the general's mansion, she didn't believe she wouldn't be able to gather information about Xia Yun Ting.
She stayed in the general's mansion for seven days and indeed discovered Xia Yun Ting in the rear garden, with Xing Jia Hui.
He had probably returned three days ago. No news could be obtained, and he had returned abruptly and unharmed.
Xing Jia Hui leaned on Xia Yun Ting's shoulder, appearing like a little bird relying on its mate. Although Xia Yun Ting didn't reach out to support her, given his nature, if he hadn't refused, it meant he tacitly agreed.
From this appearance, anyone unaware of the situation would assume they were a pair of exceptionally loving spouses. However, Rong Zhi would not be deceived by appearances.
She observed Xia Yun Ting and found that he was unharmed. This put her mind at ease; at least he was alright.
"Chun Tao, look at the general. He is extraordinarily heroic. If I could get close to the general, even if I couldn't become a concubine, I would be content."
The speaker was Xia He, the girl with the slender eyes. It seemed she had a good relationship with Chun Tao, but unfortunately, Chun Tao was already dead.
As someone privy to the truth, Rong Zhi still advised her, "You'd best not harbor such wicked thoughts. I suspect it's highly unlikely to succeed, and you might even risk your life."
Xia He was somewhat surprised, "Chun Tao, since when did you have such a strong opinion? Before, when Dong Mei told you to escape, you ran without a word and were caught by Li Guaizi and beaten severely. Why are you so different now?"
Rong Zhi pointed to the guards standing around, "Look at those people. Would ordinary households arrange so many guards around? This general is different. He's accustomed to the battlefield, cold-blooded, and devoid of human feeling. You'd best not take this risk."
"I don't believe it. As long as they are men, there isn't one who doesn't love women. Look at Dong Mei."
Rong Zhi turned to look. After Madam Gu taught them the rules, she began assigning them arduous tasks.
Later, Rong Zhi found out that they had been bought precisely to do manual labor. After Xia Yun Ting's return, the mansion only had guards and no maids. The outside world assumed Xia Yun Ting disliked women, so the sudden news of the general's mansion buying maids led to speculation that the general's wife was preparing concubines for Xia Yun Ting.
This shattered Dong Mei's dream of becoming a concubine.
"Yun Ting, I'm a little tired. I want to go back and rest," Xing Jia Hui said in a coquettish tone. What man wouldn't feel his legs weaken upon hearing that? Xia Yun Ting merely nodded slightly, "Let's go back!"
Madam Gu came over to help her away. Rong Zhi heard Xia Yun Ting heave a long sigh.
He turned to return to his study. Just then, Dong Mei, who had been sweeping the floor, suddenly rushed out and fell in front of Xia Yun Ting, letting out a very delicate "Oh!"
Xia Yun Ting stopped. A hint of impatience flashed in his phoenix eyes.
"General, spare me! Your servant did not do this intentionally." Dong Mei immediately knelt and kowtowed, but her voice was melodious and undulating, making one's skin crawl. It was unclear whether she was apologizing or trying to showcase her enchanting voice.
She thought Xia Yun Ting might be moved, but he merely summoned the steward.
"Who is this person?"
Xia Jin looked at the maid kneeling on the ground and explained, "This is someone the madam bought to clean the courtyard."
"I don't need her. Drive them all out."
He was swamped with trivial matters lately, and Xing Jia Hui was causing him trouble. Cleaning the courtyard? She was probably here to spy on him!
Xia Jin smiled and explained, "General, this is all from the madam's good intentions!"
Xia Yun Ting rubbed his forehead wearily, as if recalling something, "Alright then, let them stay far away."
He then bypassed them and walked away quickly, leaving Dong Mei with only a heartless silhouette.
"Did you hear that? You still dare to play tricks in front of the general. If you do this again, I'll cut out your tongue." Xia Jin gave Dong Mei a disdainful look. If one was going to scheme, one should at least choose a more effective method; this was too crude even for him.
Dong Mei was terrified and knelt, begging for mercy. Rong Zhi watched it all coldly and suddenly felt that this method was not bad. As long as she could get noticed by Xia Yun Ting, everything could be explained.
Under the dark, windy night, Rong Zhi used the excuse of needing to use the privy to leave the room. These days, she had already figured out the guard rotation patterns of the general's mansion. She avoided areas where people were present and made her way to the main residence.
That was Xia Yun Ting's bedroom. For the past two days, Xia Yun Ting and Xing Jia Hui had been inseparable... Thinking of this, Rong Zhi's eyes darkened.
He and Xing Jia Hui were originally a proper couple, but the thought of them spending every night together made her feel strangely uncomfortable.
Just as she was about to peek through the window to see what was inside, a low voice suddenly came from behind her.
"What are you doing?"
Rong Zhi turned around and saw Xia Yun Ting standing behind her, she didn't know when. His eyes were clear and filled with wariness.
Rong Zhi quickly removed the mask from her face. "Xia Yun Ting, it's me!"
"Who are you?"