He was woken up by their licking; three women licking his penis together. Opening his eyes to see three beauties beneath him, giving him oral sex, was the life he'd always dreamed of.
After getting up, he had another hard time with Madam Zou, seemingly determined to mold Zhang Ji's wife into his own shape, only satisfied when she was heavily pregnant.
A day later, Lu Ming arrived in Yangcheng with a hundred personal guards, accompanied by Zhen Yao and several of his servants.
Yangcheng was a town at the foot of the Taihang Mountains. Its walls were seven meters high, sufficient to defend against ordinary bandits.
With the fortified city behind them, any bandit army lacking siege equipment would find it difficult to take it.
A middle-aged man, dressed like a steward, waited outside the city. Beside him were rows of carriages carrying grain, smoked meat, winter clothing, tents, and other heavy supplies.
"Greetings, Young Master. The supplies you requested are ready." Zhen Zhen bowed respectfully, his tone humble. He was a member of the Zhen family, albeit a favored branch member.
He was responsible for managing the Zhen family business in Yangcheng, receiving 20% of the profits as a return; the rest had to be handed over to the Zhen family.
Reaching this position was already a stroke of good fortune. Only those with ability could shine in the family business; otherwise, they would be left with the less fortunate members of the clan, starving and possibly reduced to servants.
"Hmm, is everything ready?" Zhen Yao reverted to his arrogant demeanor. As a powerful clan, the Zhen family couldn't compare to the Yuan or Yang families.
But bullying them wasn't so easy. The Zhen family had the final say on the affairs of Zhongshan County!
"Everything is ready. Would you like to check it, Young Master? Here's the list." Zhen Zhen remained bowed, refusing to speak in Zhen Yao's presence.
The branch family has no right to refuse any request from the main family.
"Hmm." Zhen Yao glanced at the list. "Give all these things to the officers over there; they're sent by the court to suppress bandits."
Among the personal guards were three soldiers in special armor—special aluminum alloy armor, sturdy yet lightweight.
These were Madam Zou and her two maids, brought along as a precaution.
At least being with Lu Ming was safer, and he could take care of them.
Even though they were still frail women after becoming concubines, they could ride horses, and with Lu Ming's medical skills, they were able to persevere.
Lu Ming followed Zhen Yao, inspecting the supply list, confirming and handing over everything.
However, there were too many supplies; clearly, over a hundred people couldn't carry them all.
This gave Zhen Yao a secret thrill. He pretended not to notice the problem and didn't offer any safekeeping services. If he had kept it, it would have been difficult to get him to hand it over later; he had too many excuses, but he simply didn't.
After wandering around, he finally arrived at a carriage.
Zhen Yao gestured to a servant, who pulled back the carriage curtain.
A young girl in a simple white dress shyly emerged. Her skin was as white as jade, as smooth as cream, its translucent beauty clearly visible.
A slight smile played at the corners of her lips—not a smile, but a pervasive one.
"Captain Lu, this girl was purchased by my Zhen family while doing business in Xiaopei. We originally intended to transport her back to Zhongshan. Now that she has a connection with you, Captain Lu, we are giving her to you. Her name is Gan Mei. Gan Mei, from now on you will serve Captain Lu. You must serve him well, do you understand?" Zhen Yao said, then took out a contract of sale from his robes and handed it over. "Captain Lu, I have now given you my goods. I hope you will not disappoint me."
Lu Ming took the contract... After confirming everything was correct, he nodded. "Your Excellency can rest assured and stay in Yangcheng for a few days. Just send a follower back with me. Within five days, the Yellow Turbans in Anze City will surely be defeated."
"Alright, no need to send anyone. Just send someone to Yangcheng to deliver a message after Lieutenant Lu defeats the Yellow Turbans. I wish you a swift victory, and I will hold a grand banquet in Yangcheng to celebrate." Zhen Yao cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, his expression carrying a hint of arrogance. It seemed he was quite smug now that he was back on his own turf.
"Hehe, very well, see you later." Lu Ming cupped his fists in return, glancing at Gan Mei. She was indeed beautiful. He also noticed Zhen Yao's distressed expression. It seemed the Yellow Turbans in Anze City must possess something that made Zhen Yao willing to pay such a high price to annihilate them. If he could use this information well, he could potentially exploit them again.
Both sides tacitly distrusted each other, maintaining only the most basic, superficial politeness.
If things hadn't gone wrong, these supplies probably wouldn't have reached Lu Ming.
Zhen Yao's smile was forced; he would make back what he lost here, many times over.
As for where he would make it back, it would naturally come from the land!
Lu Ming packed all the grain into a medicine box, leaving only a portion for his personal guards to take. He also had Gan Mei put on the carriage and packed up to go with them. Since they were offering a girl as a bribe, he certainly wouldn't be polite.
"Your name is Gan Mei?" Lu Ming felt like he'd heard that name somewhere before, a sense of déjà vu. Besides Gan Mei, there was also a middle-aged woman with a somewhat out-of-shape figure, dressed simply, like a servant.
"My humble name is Gan Mei." The pure-looking girl blinked her eyes, her gaze bright and intelligent, her timid expression carrying a hint of determination.
"Hmm, how did you sell yourself to the Zhen family as a servant?" Lu Ming's expression was calm as he watched the soldiers transport the supplies away. He talked to her while simultaneously studying the map, in case of a sneak attack. While the likelihood of Zhen Yao hiring bandits to rob her was low, there was no guarantee that others wouldn't use her as a tool.
Zou wore a helmet, obscuring her face, so no one would know she was a woman.
Riding on horseback, she watched the newly arrived woman with a hint of curiosity.
She wasn't the empress, nor would she engage in palace intrigue; her husband wouldn't want her to do such pointless things.
It was merely out of curiosity; after all, jealousy was not a woman's prerogative. A husband taking a concubine was not something a wife could stop; preventing her husband from taking a concubine was preventing the family line from continuing, which would lead to divorce!
"My father was insolvent, and I was forced to sell myself into slavery to the Zhen family," Gan Mei said, bowing her head obsequiously. She knew her indenture was now in the hands of the man before her. "This is my mother."