Including Ying Ying Ji, there were four people in total, their clothes soaked through, hair disheveled, and bodies emanating a rank odor—looking exactly like they had just been fished out of a swill barrel. Yet they still dared to be imperious towards them?

The Zhao family masters and the servants surrounding them exchanged glances. Suddenly, Fifth Madam Niu burst into laughter. “I understand now… haha! I understand. This is really… haha!”

She laughed so hard her body shook, temporarily unable to speak. A Zhao family servant who had curry favor with Fifth Madam Niu asked ingratiatingly, “This humble servant is slow-witted. Does Second Madam know why they’re speaking such nonsense?”

Fifth Madam Niu covered her mouth with her sleeve, barely containing her laughter: “Go, have someone boil two pots of water and bring clean clothes! They smell so bad even the southern barbarians would find it offensive.”

Everyone had witnessed the commotion by the river earlier. They all understood that Ying Ying Ji and several maids had tried to escape by jumping into the river but were caught and brought back.

Filthy and stinking… even the southern barbarians found it offensive…

So they were to bathe in heated water and change into clean clothes, to better serve the Nanzhao soldiers.

The crowd suddenly understood, their faces displaying shock, sympathy, embarrassment, and contempt.

Even the Zhao family servants who tried to please Fifth Madam Niu felt an inexplicable bitterness in their hearts, as they too were women of the Great Tang.

These words, these expressions—who didn’t know what filthy things they were thinking of! Xiang’er wiped her tears angrily, crying out, “You all, you…”

“Xiang’er!” Ying Ying Ji stopped her. She lifted her chin and pointed at one of the Zhao family servants, “You, return my silver hairpin!”

That servant gave her a complex look, removed the hairpin from her hair, hurried forward, and placed it on the rock beside Ying Ying Ji.

Before Ying Ying Ji could call out again, several servants who had taken Xiang’er and Chunlan’s accessories came forward voluntarily, placing the ornaments on the rock. One of them choked out, “Make yourself pretty!”

Chunlan and the others were rendered speechless.

“Hehe! Well said, make yourself pretty!” Fifth Madam Niu laughed while clutching her stomach. She took out a powder box from the purse at her waist and instructed her attending maid, “Take my powder box to her.”

“No need,” Ying Ying Ji looked at her with an ambiguous smile and said leisurely, “Not everyone is like Second Madam Zhao, who carries a powder box to cover pockmarks instead of gold and silver in her purse!”

“You think saying such things will anger me?” Fifth Madam Niu’s eyes were filled with thick amusement. The night and her veil concealed her features. In the wild riverside among scattered rocks, her flowing brocade clothes revealed a stunning figure. She looked up at the star-filled night sky and said with a laugh, “I’m very happy tonight. Didn’t you say he would crawl here to save you even with broken legs? Even if he finds you, so what? Haha!”

“Madwoman,” Ying Ying Ji shook her head. Jealousy had driven Fifth Madam Niu completely mad. She wasn’t trying to deal with her; she was taking revenge on Yang Jingyuan.

“Go bathe! Wash up and change into clean clothes!” Ying Ying Ji winked playfully at her maids. She led them straight to the temporary bamboo shelter set up by the riverside.

The stove was set up inside the shelter, with a separate compartment partitioned at the back for the Zhao family masters’ use.

Cheerful laughter emerged from the bamboo shelter. The young women in the camp, however, began crying softly. Today it was Ying Ying Ji and her maids; would they be the ones thrown into the Nanzhao military tents tomorrow?

“Laugh while you can. If you survive, it will be more painful than death.” Two Nanzhao soldiers who had come to deliver a message remained standing at the edge of the camp without leaving. They were probably waiting to escort Ying Ying Ji and the others to the tents. Fifth Madam Niu watched them and thought of Yang Jingyuan. She muttered to herself, “You love her, don’t you? I lost my beauty, and she will lose her virtue. I want to see how you can still love her then.”

After nearly an hour of bathing, Ying Ying Ji emerged with her freshly cleaned maids, all in high spirits. She raised her arm, sniffed the soap fragrance on her clothes, and felt so relaxed she could almost float: “It’s getting late. Come on, let’s go to sleep!”

Thinking of the spectacular expressions that would appear on Fifth Madam Niu and the Zhao servants’ faces when they learned the truth, Chunlan, Xiang’er, and the little maid were so excited their eyes sparkled as they responded loudly, “Yes, let’s go to sleep!”

Their unexpectedly cheerful demeanor attracted the attention of over three hundred people in the camp. Under everyone’s watching eyes, Ying Ying Ji strode to Fifth Madam Niu’s spacious carriage.

“Hey! What are you doing? That’s my madam’s carriage!” A Zhao family servant guarding the carriage stretched out her arms to block her.

Before death, a moment of madness was understandable. If Ying Ying Ji wanted to wreck her carriage, let her do it. Fifth Madam Niu smiled without saying a word.

Ying Ying Ji smiled and said, “This carriage belongs to us from now on. As for your madam? The Zhao family has more than one carriage—either squeeze in with others or take our ox cart!”

“What did you say?” The Zhao servant had never seen such a thick-skinned woman. Tonight she would enter the Nanzhao soldiers’ tent, and she still had the nerve to think about living until dawn and traveling to Nanzhao in a carriage.

Ying Ying Ji yawned, her voice  exceptionally clear in the quiet riverbank: “Sir soldier, please explain your general’s orders to Camp Head Zhao. I’m tired and want to sleep!”

Chunlan and Xiang’er, now confident, stepped forward and forcefully pushed aside the Zhao servant. The little maid cleverly lifted the carriage curtain: “Mistress, please get in!”

After they boarded the carriage, Ying Ying Ji lifted the window curtain: “Camp Head Zhao, remember to bring me breakfast tomorrow morning!”

Watching helplessly as Ying Ying Ji boarded her carriage, Fifth Madam Niu was somewhat dazed. What did she call her? Camp Head Zhao? Camp Head? Did she think she was some lowly official like a women’s prison guard? And ordering her to bring breakfast? Fifth Madam Niu finally couldn’t contain herself and shouted angrily, “Drag that slut down!”

There were about a hundred Zhao family servants who had been following Fifth Madam Niu’s lead throughout the journey. Hearing the order, they all stood up, rolled up their sleeves, and surrounded the carriage.

“What are you doing? Get back!” The Nanzhao soldiers drew their sabers and shouted.

They had heard every word of the women’s conversation. After watching the show with folded arms, they finally stepped forward.

Fifth Madam Niu pointed at the carriage and said, “Aren’t captured escapees supposed to be…”

“Our general said we would treat well anyone willing to serve Nanzhao. You were dyers, silk workers, and weavers in the Great Tang. In Nanzhao, you can still make a living with your skills. Our ruler will regard you as his subjects! Camp Head Zhao, serve Madam Yang Ji well!” The Nanzhao soldier interrupted her words.

The Nanzhao soldiers had witnessed everything that had happened. Even though Fifth Madam Niu sided with Nanzhao, her eagerness to see women of her people violated by soldiers was still despicable.

Previously, the Nanzhao soldiers had respectfully addressed her as Second Madam Zhao because she possessed the Bai Prince’s lion-head gold token. Now they rudely called her Camp Head Zhao. Having heard that Second Madam Zhao’s face was ruined by smallpox in her childhood, the Nanzhao soldier thought mockingly that this must be what they meant by ugly people doing ugly things.