When she first arrived at Hongshupo, she had worried about not having enough to eat, but she still liked this family very much because they made her feel kind and friendly.
Moreover, upon arriving, they were given a large bowl of water. The water tasted good, and after drinking it, her whole body felt energized.
Besides drinking water, she also took her first bath in years. The little girl who scrubbed her back almost cried from exhaustion. After the bath, she changed into clothes that had no patches.
During dinner, she was most surprised that her new masters had rice and meat, and they could eat as much as they wanted!
Everything before her felt unreal, like a dream. She and Lu Huo pinched each other hard to confirm that everything they were seeing was real.
Now, the mistress said she wanted to cure her baldness! She had been bald for many years, could it really be cured?
She… she could never repay this kindness by working herself to the bone for her master in this lifetime!
Bai Sheng shaved off the few remaining strands of Lu Yin's hair with a blade and then applied some ointment to the top of her head.
Lu Yun, Lu Yu, and Tian Ya, seeing Lu Yin's bald head, immediately nudged each other and ran out. They hid behind the houses and laughed secretly for a long time.
When they returned, each of their small faces was calm. Even seeing Lu Yin's bald head did not cause any ripples.
Lu Yin immediately felt that the host family's children were indeed worldly and very composed.
Bai Sheng gave the medicine jar to Lu Yin, telling her to apply it once in the morning and once in the evening. She was also to wash her scalp daily and gave her two large headscarves to switch between.
Lu Yin hugged the medicine jar and held the headscarves, her eyes brimming with tears as she returned to her room.
With everything settled and all household matters taken care of by dedicated staff, Bai Sheng now only wanted to await her childbirth peacefully, to be a relaxed and happy expectant mother.
She didn't want to make a big fuss with the business at Hongshupo; too many threads would lead to chaos and exhaustion.
After the little ones were born, she could then open a workshop for producing sanitary napkins, as well as workshops for lipstick and face masks. Other things could be considered gradually in the future.
Months ago, she had already asked Yang Ming to send people to plant a large area of cactus and aloe vera.
Cacti are suitable for desert survival and are the primary hosts for cochineal insects, which are the main raw material for making lipstick and other cosmetics. Therefore, producing lipstick at Hongshupo was a unique advantage.
Besides cacti, aloe vera is also a desert product. Aloe vera can be made into aloe vera masks and face creams to moisturize the skin.
In reality, to have good skin, besides genetic inheritance, it relies on nourishing lifestyles like sleep and diet, and the application of skincare products.
Skincare products only need basic moisturization. Applying too much or too many products will only increase the burden on the skin and accelerate skin aging.
The reason she was cultivating Lu Hua and Ga Mei so vigorously and sending them to the capital for experience was for these businesses that catered to women's needs, so they would have management when they went to the capital in the future.
The next day, the seven newly purchased individuals woke up very early and began looking for tasks. Not one of them was lazy. Feng Pingyuan, as the temporary steward of the household, was quite pleased to see how diligent they were, with a keenness for work in their eyes.
However, to the surprise of the seven individuals, not long after they woke up, many people began to gather in the open space in front of the servant quarters. These people were all dressed in simple clothes and consciously lined up. Before they could understand what was happening, a young man named Yang Ming ran over and loudly called for them to participate in morning exercises.
What were morning exercises? They had never even heard of them!
However, they soon understood.
Because after running one lap, anyone would understand what morning exercises were.
Seeing that they were all skin and bones and gasped for breath even when walking, Lu Ye realized their physical fitness couldn't keep up with the people of Hongshupo. He instructed Yang Ming to train them separately first. Once their stamina improved, they could join the main group for training.
Before dawn, the entire Hongshupo was already bustling with activity. Some were running, some were practicing horse stances, some were practicing boxing, some were practicing sword dancing, some were practicing broadsword techniques, and some were lifting stones…
The seven-person group was truly shocked by all this.
This place was truly magical, and the people here were also magical. They were completely different from anyone they had ever seen before. They couldn't articulate exactly how they were different because they were uneducated.
In short, they were… very different.
After morning exercises, it was time for breakfast, and breakfast was once again a hearty meal!!
Feng Pingyuan assigned them their tasks, and each person busied themselves with their assigned duties.
When it was time for study after dinner, the seven-person group was shocked again. They could actually read and learn to write!!
This was truly a blessing from heaven! They must have accumulated great merit in their past lives to encounter such good masters in this life!
The busy day finally ended. Although the seven-person group was new and somewhat clumsy in unfamiliar surroundings, everything else was as usual.
The night of Hongshupo fell into silence, with only the flickering torches of the guard đội piercing the darkness, solitary yet warm.
On the same night, the Xuanzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace in the capital was far from peaceful.
This was the fifth cup the Emperor had smashed.
Old eunuch Wang Chun stood trembling to the side, while another young eunuch responsible for sweeping knelt on the ground, clearing the shattered porcelain shards, his head pressed so low it was almost touching the ground.
The several palace maids standing by the sides were even more terrified, not daring to breathe loudly, fearing that their breathing might attract the Emperor's attention. If the Emperor became angry, he might uncontrollably shout, "Guards, drag her out and behead her!"
They worked diligently and cautiously at all times, solely to avoid being dragged out and beheaded.
"Ungrateful son! Scoundrel!"
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Ever since the Emperor had read the secret letter expedited from Bianzhou by Prince Yu, he had been furious, cursing dozens of times and smashing the imperial desk before him, shortening it by three inches with his forceful blows.
Wang Chun did not know the specific contents of the secret letter and thought that Prince Yu, that bewitching imperial prince, had angered the Emperor again.
After all, when he was in the capital, he used to infuriate the Emperor daily, and incidentally, disgust the Crown Prince and the Empress. The disharmony in the royal family was mostly caused by him.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor said to him, "Wang Chun, you personally go to the Yan residence and convey my decree, ordering the Imperial Censor Yan Mingkun to come see me immediately!"
"Yes, this servant receives the order." Wang Chun immediately bowed his head and retreated out of the hall.
Wang Chun had a premonition that something major must have happened this time. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have personally sent him to the Yan residence. After all, he was the chief eunuch, one of the Emperor's closest confidants… He directly represented the Emperor, and errands outside the palace were usually not assigned to him.
Poor Yan Mingkun was already asleep when his wife yanked him out of bed, saying that Wang Chun had arrived and the Emperor had ordered him to the palace for an audience.
Only then did Yan Mingkun quickly pick out two clumps of eye boogers, half soft and half hard, then leaped out of bed, threw on his outer garment, slipped on his shoes and boots, and rushed out.
In the entire court, he could disregard everyone's words, but he absolutely could not disregard the Emperor's words, because besides the Emperor, he had no other backing.
It was precisely because he had no background and was an upright, solitary minister back then that the Emperor gave him the position of Imperial Censor, responsible for overseeing all officials.
Except for being obsequious before the Emperor, he was incorruptible and upright before everyone else, including Prime Minister Dong and Duke Jiang.
Therefore, the Emperor had treated him as his confidant all these years.