Chapter 55: Deliberate Harassment

Liu Liwa always had confidence in himself. Whether you were the Son of the Vice Minister or a battlefield hero, as long as you were a man visiting a Pleasure House, you would always have desires and weaknesses. In the end, you couldn’t resist women.

When he arrived at the front hall, the young masters and ladies were already busy under Yang Xiaosi’s direction. Several sleepy, yawning guests were also being sent away amid the girls’ apologies. Some regular customers understood what was happening today, so without a word, they disappeared even before properly dressed.

After seeing off the guests, the girls returned to their rooms and closed their doors tightly. Among them, Miss Yanhong, showing loyalty, secretly slipped ten taels of silver into his hand. Judging by her swaying figure, it seemed she had not only earned money last night but also enjoyed herself physically and mentally.

Shen Zuijin appeared early in the morning, dressed in a white gown. At first glance, she looked like she was in mourning. She held a white silk handkerchief, rolled her eyes, and glared disdainfully at Liu Liwa.

The girls who had sent off the guests voluntarily took out their Rouge and Face Powder. Instead of applying it to themselves, they sprinkled it all around. In an instant, the Intoxication Pavilion was filled with a strong fragrance. Liu Liwa smiled wryly, thinking this was the ancient version of an air freshener.

On the other side, the young masters and ladies, led by the servants and maids, were sweating profusely as they moved tables and chairs, wiped the floors and walls, dusted spiderwebs from the ceiling, and plugged rat holes in the corners. Hot and cold water were continuously brought in. The mahogany tables and chairs were polished until they shone like mirrors, and the brick floor was spotless. To ensure cleanliness, those cleaning were not allowed to wear shoes.

Liu Liwa was astonished. In his previous life, he once went to a local government office to seek sponsorship. It happened that the office was preparing for an inspection by higher-ups, and the entire building was mobilized for cleaning. The scene then was quite similar to what he saw now—truly a tradition passed down for centuries!

The newly joined young ladies had recently washed away their arrogance and luxury through laundry work. Now, they were also doing a decent job cleaning. The young masters continued with their tasks of fetching, boiling, and carrying water. One young master, while carrying water past Shen Zuijin, whispered that he wanted to mention his effort in helping Shen Zuijin wash clothes yesterday, hoping to gain her favor. Opportunities must be seized, after all: “Miss Shen, this gown of yours is made of high-quality silk. Fortunately, we washed it with warm water yesterday and maintained the temperature throughout the process; otherwise, it might have frayed.”

Hmm? Shen Zuijin was taken aback. She looked at him, then at her clothes, and suddenly recalled her underwear and underskirt, as well as the terrifying little insect in her pants that had tormented her half the night. In the end, she had no choice but to light a stick of incense and desperately blow smoke into the ‘valley’ to drive the insect out, scaring her half to death. She had already suspected Liu Liwa as the culprit, but since Liu Liwa was tasked by Wu Liniang to please the Son of the Vice Minister, she couldn’t act against him yet. She planned to punish him later for releasing the insect and barging into her room. But now, this young master stepped forward, confusing her. She asked coldly, “You helped wash my clothes too?”

The young master nodded frantically. His companions in the distance were secretly watching him. Since they all spent time together daily, he didn’t dare take all the credit shamelessly and quickly added, “Not just me; we worked in pairs, and everyone participated.”

“Good, good!” Shen Zuijin gritted her teeth. She was too embarrassed to ask who had washed her underwear and underskirt. Since she couldn’t move against Liu Liwa for now, she decided to vent her anger on them instead. Shen Zuijin stepped forward and announced loudly to the young masters and ladies, “Listen, all of you! After cleaning here thoroughly, go to the Backyard and clean it just as carefully. I’ll inspect it later. If I find even a speck of dust, you’ll go without food for three days!”

Everyone was shocked. Just then, Wang Meng appeared with a group of burly enforcers, like dogs responding to their master’s raised voice. Their presence immediately silenced the young masters and ladies, who had been about to complain. But a wave of resentment nearly overwhelmed them, and they all cast icy glares at the young master near Shen Zuijin, suspecting he had betrayed them by saying something to her.

The current cleaning task was already nitpicky—even the brick floor had to be polished until it shone like a mirror. It was clearly a form of harassment. While it made sense to clean the front hall thoroughly, the Backyard was another matter. It was perpetually dark, damp, and sunless. The brick floor was broken in many places, mixed with mud. Moss covered the walls, toads and earthworms crawled everywhere in the damp areas, rats scurried in the rooms, and spiders covered the walls. The environment was worse than a death cell. Making them live there was already torture, and now they had to clean it too…

Everyone felt on the verge of madness but had no way to resist. Anger and grievance filled the air, and some young ladies couldn’t hold back their tears.

Liu Liwa understood why Shen Zuijin was throwing a fit, but he hadn’t expected the punishment to be so cruel. Making them clean the Backyard was worse than sending them to scrub toilets.

It’s none of my business, so I’ll stay out of it! Liu Liwa hunched his shoulders, picked up a rag from somewhere, and obediently crouched to wipe the brick floor, as if determined to polish it into gold. He hummed a little tune to cheer up his companions: “The sun comes out with a smile so bright, the duty crew wakes up with all their might. First, they wipe the tables clean and neat, then arrange the chairs, oh what a feat! Pull weeds in the Backyard, sweep the dust away, everyone laughs and cheers, hooray! We’re the hardest workers on duty day!”

Everyone gritted their teeth in frustration, unable to understand why their attempt to curry favor had backfired. The young master who had tried to claim credit was equally confused. He didn’t dare ask Shen Zuijin for an explanation, nor could he face the cold stares of his comrades. Instead, he simply picked up a wooden bucket to fetch water.

Shen Zuijin slowly walked through the crowd, constantly waving her snow-white silk handkerchief. She swept it over tables and floors, and wherever it passed, it left a mark. It wasn’t that the cleaning was inadequate, but the handkerchief was simply too white—even rubbing it against her heavily powdered face would have discolored it.

But when leaders want to harass their subordinates, they always find a way. At least she hadn’t used her powder-caked face to wipe the floor—that was already considerate. Shen Zuijin stretched out her foot, clad in Embroidered Shoes, and tapped the brick floor in front of Liu Liwa. “The guests we’re receiving today are very important. There must not be a speck of dust or dirt. I don’t care how you do it—even if you have to lick it, make sure this place is spotless.”

Liu Liwa looked at the brick floor, which was so polished he could almost see his reflection, and yet she claimed it wasn’t clean enough. He shot a sidelong glance at Shen Zuijin and exclaimed, “Oh no, Miss Shen! Lift your foot quickly! I just saw a plump little insect crawl under your skirt!”