Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 128 Surrender
Front Hall

The table was filled with a dazzling array of dishes and wine, each with its own unique characteristics. The sweet and sour pork with pineapple was especially delicious, both in color and aroma.

Babutai ate so much that he shook his head and said in amazement, then put another piece into his mouth and chewed it vigorously, picked up the wine glass in his hand and said;

"Brother Jinghai, when it comes to your conduct and behavior, I give you a thumbs-up. I was the one who messed up earlier, and I apologize to you here. Please don't take it personally. I'll drink a glass of wine as a punishment."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then turned the cup upside down and waved it around.

On the banquet table
Zheng Guohui sat at the head of the Eight Immortals Table, Babutai sat in the guest seat, Dong Huanzhang accompanied him, and behind them were several maids standing to serve, pouring wine and serving dishes.

Originally, the captain of the personal guards, Zheng Sheng, could have sat up, but this guy would rather hide in the house, drinking and eating meat with several captains of the personal guards, shouting and playing rock-paper-scissors, and drinking, than be restricted at the master's table.

Zheng Guohui smiled tolerantly and waved his hand without saying anything more.

Instead, Dong Huanzhang picked up the wine glass, responded with a smile, "My Lord, I'll drink this glass of wine with you. Our general is very generous. We who are doing things just need to take care of the things in front of us." As he said that, he drank the wine in one gulp.

His words lowered the status of the Beizi Lord. A mere deputy general of the second rank was nothing but an ant in front of the Beizi Lord.

It's a pity that a poor man has little ambition, and a thin horse has long hair.

Zheng Guohui is now the boss, and Babutai is a guest official to put it nicely, or a senior servant who takes orders to put it bluntly. He just suffered a severe setback, so how can he stand up straight?
Just laugh it off and it will be over.

The host and the guests had a great time at the meal. They were very lively and no one spoke a word. There was a clear distinction between the superior and the inferior.

Babutai took the 200 taels of silver he had received in advance, wiped his lips and left happily. Naturally, a coachman was waiting at the door.

Dong Huanzhang escorted him to the gate of the mansion, bowed to him and said goodbye. He watched the carriage disappear at the end of the dim road before turning back.

After this

Dong Huanzhang truly admired the general's ability to manipulate people's hearts.

The dignified prince was being toyed with and applauded, but he didn't get angry at all, just like a dog that was pampered.

Return to the inner house
Zheng Li came up with a few pretty maids and escorted Zheng Guohui to the main hall. She smelled the alcohol on him and couldn't help but reach out and hit him lightly, scolding him.

"Master, how much have you drunk? You stink of alcohol, it's almost intoxicating. Drinking like this is bad for your health!"

Then he turned around and ordered, "Dongmei, quickly bring the hangover soup stored in the quilt. Qiuyue, ask the kitchen to make another bird's nest, white fungus and pineapple soup. Remember to make a generous portion. Bring it up once it's ready. I'll be waiting in the room."

Dongmei skillfully brought the sobering soup. On the other side, the maid had already taken off the master's clothes, washed his face and hands with a hot towel, applied pearl ointment, and changed him into a loose nightgown.

Zheng Guohui sat on the armchair, and a wooden basin was brought to his feet. Some nourishing musk medicine was placed in the basin. He soaked his feet in hot water, and it felt extremely comfortable to put his feet in the water.

He took the hangover soup and drank a few sips, smiling as he said, "Don't blame me, Madam. I punished Beizi Babutai today, and after some fiddling with him, he finally behaved himself. I have to give him a little treat, so I'll have a feast with him."

"Well, I've heard of this Babutai. He's been a bad boy since he was young. He always leads people to bully others in the market. When Fulata Beile of the Manggurtai family died, he even led people to cause trouble. Everyone in the palace disliked him, so naturally no job was assigned to him." Zheng Li was knowledgeable and knew many strange stories in the capital, which made up for her shortcomings.

Zheng Guohui had never heard of such things before. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Madam, is this Babutai so reckless?"

"Isn't it?" Zheng Li saw that her husband was interested, so she spoke carefully;
“I don’t know the specific details, I just heard rumors that this matter was quite a big deal at the time.

It should have been more than four years ago. Prince Fulata died in a battle when the Jiangnan camp was breached. It was a tragic scene in the capital. Almost every Manchu family was in mourning and there was wailing everywhere.

But Babutai led his men to break into the mourning tent, saying that Fulata owed him 1200 taels of silver, and that the debt could not be settled even after death, so he wanted the man's wife and children to pay it back no matter what. He also stole the silver from the funeral, which seemed to be several hundred taels.

This matter spread throughout the capital and even reached the palace, which was in turmoil at the time, so it was eventually dropped."

Zheng Guohui knew that "the palace was in chaos" at that time, referring to the "Xinyou Coup" jointly launched by Prince Gong Yi and the two Empress Dowagers, in which the eight regents were abolished, some were beheaded, and some had their property confiscated. They really had no time to take care of such trivial matters.

He chuckled and said leisurely, "Since Babutai has such a great reputation, then my Nanfeng Hall has found a treasure. With this great god sitting there, who would dare to take advantage of him?"

"This scoundrel is definitely not someone you can get along with."

"Don't worry, ma'am. I've got him in good hands today. Even though he's a rough man, he won't mess with money. Just hit his sore spot, and he won't cause any big trouble."

"I believe this. The master is truly gifted by heaven. Even a monkey like Sun Wukong cannot escape the master's grasp."

"Haha...that's right."

Zheng Guohui was also happy. He chatted with his wife and soaked his feet. He was already sober from the alcohol.

The four maids, Ruqin, Siqi, Qiuyue and Dongmei, brought out their respective musical instruments, qin and flute, placed them in the hall, and began to play.

The melodious sound of the piano and the low whisper of the flute, the cleansing music echoes in the house, creating an inexplicable tranquil atmosphere.

The two pretty maids, Yushu and Miaohua, danced gracefully to the music. Their every frown and smile showed their charm and they danced very beautifully.

Such music and dance were commonplace in the inner chambers of the palace.

Zheng Guohui's eyes kept glancing at Dongmei who was playing the piano. He was so absorbed in looking at her snow-white skin, bright eyes and white teeth that he didn't even notice Xia Yu helping him by bringing out the foot bath bucket, wiping her feet clean and putting them in the cotton foot bath.

This Dongmei is the maid I met in Li Hongzhang's study.

She actually married into the Zheng family together with the newlywed Li Yanhe. The world is so wonderful that Zheng Guohui sighed.

he knows

If history had not changed, Dongmei would have become Li Hongzhang's concubine, but after becoming pregnant, she fell and died.

Zheng Li followed his gaze and fell on Dongmei who was playing the piano seriously. Knowing that the master liked her, she felt a little sour in her heart.

But Zheng Li forced herself to suppress her inner sorrow. She had seen too much in the Li family mansion, and naturally believed that having one wife and multiple concubines was the natural order of life and human desire.

If you try to monopolize the master and not let other women get close to him, you will ruin your reputation and be branded as a jealous woman.

In just a moment, I made the decision.

The Li family in northern Anhui has strict family education. The most repeated admonition for their married daughters is "jealousy". As long as they do this well, their position as the wife will be as stable as Mount Tai.

After the song is finished, the lingering sound continues.

"Good, good, you played well, and danced well, master will appreciate them all." Zheng Guohui responded with a smile and clasped his hands together.

"Thank you for the reward." Several pretty maids bowed gracefully.

In the mansion, the master does not specify the amount of reward. According to the usual practice, it is one or two taels of silver. There is no need to explain this.

The four maids that the lady brought as a dowry were all pretty. In later generations, they would be considered top beauties, with skin as white as snow, eyebrows and eyes as picturesque, and figures of varying sizes, each with its own unique charm.

Only a beautiful woman like Zheng Li could dominate the situation and not be overshadowed by the maids around her.

As long as Zheng Li is present, she is always the center of everyone's attention.

After drinking a large bowl of bird's nest, white fungus and pineapple soup and rinsing his mouth, Zheng Guohui entered the dormitory as usual, but saw Dongmei kneeling beside the couch in the outer room, preparing to take off his shoes.

This was usually the job of the two bed-warming maids, Ruqin and Siqi. Zheng Guohui exclaimed in surprise and looked at the lady beside the bed with an inquiring look.

With the help of her maid, the lady had already taken off her hair ornaments and hairpins and changed into a loose nightgown. When she saw Zheng Guohui looking at her, she rolled her eyes at him and lay down on the brocade couch without saying a word.

Zheng Guohui also got on the bed, holding his wife's delicate body in his arms, and asked with a shameless face, "Madam, what kind of trick is this today? I'm still confused."

"Who does my husband like? Do you want me to tell you?"

"Are you saying I like Chunmei?"

"Hmph..." Zheng Li twisted her body and snorted lightly. The answer was self-evident.

The way you stare at that maid, who can't see it?

Zheng Guohui knew what the problem was.

After marriage

Zheng Li told him that she would not object to the master taking a concubine, but the master had to get consent, and the four maids Ruqin, Siqi, Yushu and Miaohua would be considered first.

These four maids grew up with Li Yanhe. The newest one, Miaohua, has been in the mansion for five years and knows the young lady inside and out.

Ruqin and Siqi, the two bed-warming maids, were playmates who grew up with Miss Li Yanhe. They were proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and their conversation and knowledge were also cultivated in accordance with the Miss.

She learned to read and write from the private school teacher in the mansion, and learned piano and dancing from the governess, and they had a very deep relationship.

The four pretty maids, Chunhua, Qiuyue, Xiayu and Dongmei, came later. Knowing that Zheng Guohui "was fond of lust" (note: this was Li Hongzhang's judgment), his father-in-law Li Hanzhang sent back two stunning girls from Hunan, namely Chunhua and Xiayu.

Fifth uncle Li Yunzhang sent a stunning young girl from northern Anhui, her name was Qiuyue.

Including Dongmei in Li Hongzhang's study, there were a total of four stunning girls who accompanied Miss Li Yanhe to marry. This shows how much the Li family valued them.

from the heart
Of course, Zheng Li hopes that the master will take Ruqin and Siqi as his maids, after all, their relationship is deeper than with other women.

Being able to sleep on the couch outside the wedding bed of Long Feng Wangong means that the lady has promoted Chunmei to a bed-warming maid, and the master can visit her at any time, which has been tacitly approved by the lady.

When being manipulated by the master, if you can't bear it, you can always ask the bed warmer to help you bear it, or provide some assists during lovemaking.

That's why Zheng Guohui was so surprised. When he saw his wife twist her body, he took advantage of the fact that she was still drunk and covered her mouth with his.

I told you to behave yourself, or I'll punish you.

That night, the red candles flickered wildly and did not go out for a long time. Unable to bear the beating, Li Yanhe finally begged for mercy and asked Dongmei to join the battle. It was a scene of boundless beauty and happiness, needless to say.

(End of this chapter)