The Empress’ Livestream

“What happened? A burglar hit the farms and you have no idea what to do? You had to find me over something this small?” Jiang Pengji felt disappointed that Xu Ke could not even handle the matter by himself.

When Xu Ke noticed that Jiang Pengji was being serious, he quickly restrained his lazy expression.

“I thought you were still missing a leader,” he replied. Jiang Pengji raised a brow at his words, but Xu Ke was not startled by her reaction. He continued, “Your training manual may be good, but we’re still fumbling around. Why not hire someone who knows what to do? You and I are not versed in troop training, so why don’t we hire an experienced soldier?”

“So you’re saying that the one who stole rations and chickens is an experienced soldier?” Jiang Pengji narrowed her eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure of it. He may even have an official title.” Xu Ke nodded his head.

Jiang Pengji: “…”

The coincidence was too much. She could wager a guess on who stole Xu Ke’s food rations, cloth, and chickens.

“But this group of people are wary. It’s not easy to get close to them. If I didn’t stay up and hide myself, I would not have seen them. If you would like to recruit them, I think you would need to wait for a while.”

“Group? Not one person?”

Xu Ke nodded his head. “More than one. Based on the footsteps and the conversation, there were more than ten and most were injured.

If they were not injured, they would probably not have broken into the farms to steal.

“This just got interesting.” Jiang Pengji had yet to see them, but based on Xu Ke’s words, she had confirmed their identity.

She trusted Xu Ke. Why else would he come report to her instead of trying to capture the thieves? Even if the people were not who she thought, they still had some skills.

“Go find the accountant and get another ten taels from him, then buy a few kilos of meat and some medicine. Let them steal them if they want, but remember to make it clear to them that we know about their existence and we are showing graciousness.”

If gifting them with food and medication for a day was not enough, then she would give them that until they made a full recovery. Anyways, food and medicine did not cost much.

Jiang Pengji would eventually get back what they owed her.

It was a test. If they had honor and shame, they would naturally be ashamed of their actions. If they had no honor, then Jiang Pengji would change her tactics and her impression of them would be low.

If it was just some rations, then the investment she made would be small, and if her plan was a success, the interest she would reap was much better.

When Xu Ke heard what Jiang Pengji said, he was astonished. He thought he was shameless for scheming against others. He did not expect his own Langjun to be worse than him.

When Jiang Pengji noticed his expression, she sighed.

“No one leaves a name when they perform a good deed. Either they are really good people, or they are brainless. Which type do you think I am?”

Xu Ke turned quiet. Jiang Pengji’s scheming could not count as “good intention,” but she was not brainless either, and that could not count as “no one leaves a name.” She was obviously trying to make them owe her!

Based on the current era’s morals, Jiang Pengj was shameless.

But Xu Ke liked that and he gave a beatific smile.

Jiang Pengji fanned herself with her fan and suddenly said, “Xiaoyu, you should smile more or it’d be such a waste.”

“You’re teasing me again.” Xu Ke grumbled.

She tsked. “Last night, father brought me to Langlang Alley. Though we did not enter, we did visit a nearby brothel, Yingchun Mansion. We stayed there until late. Even though you don’t want to admit it, you’re still prettier than those girls by a hundred fold.”

Xu Ke: “…”

Her words held a lot of information.

“I’ll bring you there when we have time,” Jiang Pengji added while laughing.

Why did Liu She suddenly bring her to a brothel? If someone told her it was not Xu Ke’s doing, Jiang Pengji would not believe them.

She did enjoy herself the night before, so she could not blame Xu Ke entirely for setting a trap.

Xu Ke’s expression was pitiful. He finally realized how evil his Langjun was.

Other than laying there and letting her tease him, what else could he do?

He hoped that his Langjun was not gay or lusted after men, or he would be terribly stressed.

Even though the current era’s trend was male homosexuality, there were still some who thumbed their noses at such a behavior––for instance, Xu Ke.

Jiang Pengji did not know what Xu Ke was really worried about. Even if she knew, she would not mind.

Even if she was into “male homosexuality,” she would not go for someone so close to her. It was not an issue, but rather, it was against her principles.

Jiang Pengji always made sure to draw a line between superiors and subordinates to prevent any slanders or rumors. She could not bear it if people started playing mind games.

Xu Ke did not head over to find her just to tell her about the burglary, except that it was the most important. “The manual you gave was really good. Those guys fared much better during the second day’s training.”

People who were not accustomed to exercising would naturally get sore muscles and aches, which would hinder the next day’s training. But Jiang Pengji left behind a manual on massages. The text and illustrations were excellent at explaining where they should concentrate on, and how much pressure to apply. Almost everyone mastered it. Xu Ke made the guards memorize the methods and apply them immediately. The results were more than satisfactory.

Based on what the guards had said, they were originally sore and stiff, and could not even feel their limbs. But when they followed the massage manual, they started feeling heat pool into their arms and legs, then the soreness started to fade away. It was as comfortable as soaking in a hot bath.

As for their reaction, Jiang Pengji was not surprised.

The massage methods were taught in her military academy, as not everyone could handle the stress the trainings brought. Most of the regular soldiers relied on the massages to soothe their sore muscles. The massages had undergone many changes, therefore the ones Jiang Pengji taught were the most effective and safest.

The massages were also capable of stimulating activity in the nerves. The effect would not be immediate, but after a couple of months, the body would grow stronger.