Chapter 119: The General's Wife

Yang Xiaolin straightened his back. "That's more like it. So, you are the General's wife?"

The middle-aged woman sat down in a chair with an air of status. The steward spoke hurriedly, "This is a First-Rank Lady of the Imperial Court, the legal wife of the current Shengjing General, Zeng Qi, and the niece of Prince Yong of the imperial clan."

Before the long list of titles could be finished, the General's wife interrupted him: "That is enough. As long as the master of the house knows I am in charge, that is all that matters. He wouldn't listen to that long list anyway. Yang Dagui, I will ask you only one thing: are you planning to slaughter everyone in this household?"

In the eyes of everyone present, it seemed only natural that since Zeng Qi had led troops to suppress Yang Xiaolin, Yang would now ransack his home and slaughter everyone in sight. Although the General's wife appeared composed, Yang knew she was terrified; she would not have dressed in such formal attire otherwise.

Yang Xiaolin flicked his finger lightly. "Rest assured, Madam. While I, Yang Dagui, may be a brute, I would never lay a hand on people like you. It is just that if I don't do something, I fear General Zeng Qi might forget who I am."

The woman asked, "What is it you want?"

Yang Xiaolin replied, "Actually, what I want is simple. First, I am taking this gold and the grain. Anything I cannot carry, I will distribute to the common people. Tell Zeng Qi to put it all on my account."

The General's wife nodded upon hearing this. "You may take it. I will explain it to the General when he returns. I promise there will be no pursuit."

Yang Xiaolin chuckled, a smile that struck the General's wife as profoundly wicked. "And one final requirement: although you are already middle-aged, you still possess a certain charm. Tonight, I would like you to use the skills you employ to serve the General on me."

The General's wife turned deathly pale, her entire body trembling. Beside her, Quan Fu roared, "Yang Dagui! Do not be so insolent, or the General will never forgive you when he returns!"

Without even looking back, Yang Xiaolin gestured to Sui Bing, who pulled the trigger. A bullet pierced the steward’s skull, leaving a spray of gore. When the blood splattered onto the General's wife, she could no longer maintain her composure and shrieked.

Yang Xiaolin stepped forward and pinned her down. "Listen, I don't want to kill anyone, but don't force my hand! If you follow my orders, everyone will be fine. Tonight, show me your skills in the bedroom. Otherwise, I will slaughter everyone here, strip you bare, drag you into the street, and let my men have their way with you one by one in front of all the people of Fengtian!"

The threat was brutal. Zeng Qi's wife lost all sense of composure; extreme panic and dread stripped away her dignity. She suddenly fell to her knees. "Yang Dagui, I am forty-three years old. Wouldn't it be better to find someone younger? The General just took a concubine, only sixteen years old. Her beauty is enough to shame the moon and close the flowers. Shall I have her brought to you instead?"

Yang Xiaolin glared at her fiercely. "Did you not hear me? I want you! If you agree, go change your clothes and freshen up now. If you refuse, you know the consequences."

Zeng Qi's wife was shivering uncontrollably. She knew what this meant for her. Driven by traditional values, she retorted sharply, "You beast, don't even dream of it! I would rather die than agree to your demands!"

Yang Xiaolin stood up, walked over, and hooked her chin with his finger. "You think death is an escape? Even if you die, even if you are just a corpse, you will not remain unsullied! Sui Bing, take her to change into something clean and beautiful, then have her wait in the eastern side chamber."

The woman eventually followed Sui Bing away. Watching her disappear, Yang Xiaolin’s lips curled into a smile. He knew she wouldn't kill herself; death requires a kind of courage that is hard to come by for a woman accustomed to a life of luxury.

Jin Dadao leaned in and whispered, "Commander, to tell you the truth, the boys have always felt we needed a mistress for the mountain stronghold, but you never seemed interested in that sort of thing! Only today did I realize you have a taste for older women!"

Yang Xiaolin looked at him, seeing Jin Dadao’s face beaming with excitement. Jin continued, "Commander, since you’ve taken the older one, can we have the rest of them?"

Yang Xiaolin grabbed him by the collar. "Brother Jin, a man must keep a firm grip on his desires. I want my men to be wolves on the battlefield, not lecherous dogs in the bedchamber. I will not have a repeat of what happened with Erganzi."

Jin Dadao was stunned. In all the time they had been together, Yang Xiaolin had never spoken to him in such a tone. It was hard for him to accept. Perhaps Yang Xiaolin realized he had been too harsh, but he firmly believed his troops had to shed their bandit habits entirely.

Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, Yang Du rushed in from outside. "Commander! I have finished talking with Magistrate Zhao. He wants to meet with you now."

Yang Xiaolin stared at Yang Du for a moment. "Xizi, you've already negotiated the amnesty so quickly?"

Yang Du laughed. "Not quite, just a preliminary understanding. Magistrate Zhao said that as long as we behave well in the future, he will find an opportunity to make it happen."

Yang Xiaolin burst into laughter. "Good! Well done, Xizi. Bring Zhao Erxun in. We shall drink in Zeng Qi's house tonight. Xizi, you have worked hard; you deserve a few cups."

Yang Du was in high spirits. "As you command, how could I refuse?"

Zhao Erxun had come to stop the killing, so he had only temporarily humored Yang Du regarding the amnesty. The city had already fallen; if he couldn't even protect the General's family, he would surely follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Magistrate Zhang.

Upon entering, he was relieved to see that only the steward was dead—things, while bad, hadn't reached the worst-case scenario. Zhao Erxun sat at the table and drank a few cups with Yang Xiaolin before saying, "Yang Dagui, I will consider your request, but for the amnesty to proceed, you must release everyone in the General's household immediately! If the General's family is harmed, I fear I cannot answer for you!"

Yang Xiaolin put down his glass. "Rest assured, Magistrate Zhao. When I entered the city, I made it clear to my men: do not touch the common people! As you can see, they have followed my orders. It is late now, and moving people is inconvenient. I will release them first thing tomorrow morning. How about this—come collect them at 6:30 tomorrow morning."

Zhao Erxun knew he had little bargaining power. Relying on an uncertain promise of amnesty to make these bandits follow his orders was impossible, so he nodded. "Very well. Yang Dagui, you must ensure the safety of the General's family tonight!"

Yang Xiaolin patted his chest. "If even one hair is missing, you can carve the flesh off my own body!"

Yang Du added, "Magistrate Zhao, please rest easy. I will stay here tonight. I assure you that as long as I am here, no one else will come to harm."

Zhao Erxun had no choice but to accept. He stood up. "Fine, I hope you all keep your word. I also promise that as long as nothing goes wrong, you will be able to walk out of Fengtian City tomorrow in plain sight. Do not cause trouble for the Imperial Court again, and I will find a way to handle the amnesty. Goodnight!"

Yang Xiaolin sat in his chair and cupped his hands. "Safe travels, Magistrate Zhao. Xizi, see the Magistrate out for us."

Yang Du was a bit tipsy, but he happily accepted the task. "Magistrate Zhao, allow me to escort you."

As Yang Du stood up, he swayed, and Yang Xiaolin steadied him. "Xizi, you should go get some rest as well. I've prepared a room for you—the eastern side chamber by the door."

Yang Du nodded. "Understood. Thank you, Commander."

He and Zhao Erxun stumbled out together, each leaning on the other. The bandits in the room remained silent for a moment, but once Yang Du was out of sight, Jin Dadao burst into laughter, followed by Sui Bing and the others. Biaozi leaned in and asked, "Commander, what do you think will happen when that kid Yang Du enters the room?"

Sui Bing was particularly spirited. "I tell you, the silk dress Zeng Qi's wife changed into—even though she's not young, her skin is so white, it made even me envious! It would be a miracle if Yang Du could hold himself back!"

Yang Xiaolin looked at them. "Are you all dying to eavesdrop?"

No one replied, but their expressions spoke volumes. Yang Xiaolin set down his cup. "If you want to go, then go. But let it be clear: if you get worked up tonight, go find some cold water to douse it yourselves!"

As soon as he finished, Biaozi rushed out, followed by Sui Bing and Qian Yao. Liu Xian hesitated for a moment, coughed, stood up, and walked out slowly, before breaking into a run.

Yang Du, hazy with drink, arrived at the eastern side chamber. Upon opening the door, he found the room meticulously cleaned, a red candle burning on the table, and a large bed against the wall. The room was filled with the faint, elegant scent of high-quality sandalwood.

Yang Du smiled. This Yang Dagui was quite thoughtful, actually helping him light incense! He walked to the bed and suddenly felt something was amiss. Why was the bedding so soft? It felt as if something were inside.

His drunkenness vanished instantly. He reached out to touch the side, feeling something smooth and soft, then quickly pulled his hand back, his heart racing. He couldn't figure out what was going on.

Zeng Qi's wife, feeling the hand that had touched her pull away, waited. When the hand didn't return, she suddenly remembered what Yang Xiaolin had said about her needing to show her skills tonight.

"Speak, who are you?"

When he said this, the General's wife immediately assumed he was playing some sort of game—a game that was deeply demeaning! The woman rolled over onto Yang Du. "I will listen to everything you say tonight, but please... can you not make me speak?"

Without waiting for Yang Du's answer, she lowered her head, her lips beginning to wander slowly from his chin downward.