After it was over, Lu Ming had already left.
Madam Jiang dragged her weary body to her feet. The maid beside her quickly rose to help her, noticing the bruises and welts on her fair skin. It was as if she hadn't been treated as a woman, but rather as a tool for sexual gratification.
However, Madam Jiang didn't see it that way. She thought it was just Lu Ming's peculiar preference, a rather rough form of sex.
Even so, it made her feel happy, joyful, and unforgettable.
After dressing, Madam Jiang regained her cold and arrogant demeanor and addressed the other textile workers, "Get up, all of you. Your rewards will be delivered to you. Serving the master well is your duty. From the moment you stepped through these doors, you were no longer yourselves; you belonged to the master!"
"Yes, Madam," the other workers trembled. They knew Madam Jiang's methods.
Without physical punishment, she wouldn't give you food. What could you do?
Locked you up for a day, with no one to talk to, no communication, and no food, it would be easy for you to break down and give in.
Despite Jiang's humble, maid-like demeanor before Lu Ming and Zhang Yulan, she was incredibly haughty and arrogant in front of the other female workers, like a proud white swan, beautiful and untouchable.
A few days later, Lu Ming set off.
The cement road to Didao had been paved, incomparable to modern asphalt roads.
However, it was smooth and clean.
Even after rain, there was little standing water.
Small open ditches along the roadside were used for drainage.
Cement roads were gradually being laid throughout Liangzhou. This time, Xu Shu would personally lead troops to take over Dunhuang and other places, accompanied by Western Qiang cavalry and ten thousand personal guards.
Those places were too far; Lu Ming didn't want to go, nor did he have the time.
He needed to remain in Didao to suppress powerful clans, consolidate land, and plan development.
Even without personally overseeing everything, it's essential to understand the surrounding situation and then make deployments.
Most importantly, Jia Xu is stationed in Didao. This strategist, who joined him early on, has always been utterly loyal.
Now, Lu Ming must personally host a banquet for him as a token of gratitude.
He also wants to hear Jia Xu's opinions. Besides, he needs to establish an intelligence division to gather intelligence.
Major events in Luoyang, the war situation in Bingzhou, and so on.
Traveling on paved roads is so comfortable and fast—it's really enjoyable.
Lu Ming even misses his old cars. Although cars are unavailable, bicycles would be a decent mode of transportation if there were paved roads.
But the most crucial element—rubber—is actually a constraint.
Fortunately, he has already begun planting unknown seeds; this is a new blueprint after reaching the maximum level of his agricultural skills.
"Unknown Seeds: Unknown seeds made from weeds have a chance to grow into unknown plants, with each plant having an equal probability. These include non-native crops such as Life Fruit, Death Flower, Money Tree, and Rubber."
Clearly, this is like opening a blind box; what you get is completely random.
You might get tomatoes or potatoes—drought-resistant plants that are excellent for cultivation and can be eaten after harvest.
This time, Lu Ming only brought a few of his non-pregnant concubines, and Wang Yi also accompanied him.
Didao, as the administrative center, would definitely be a permanent residence there in the future; it was also a passageway on the Silk Road.
Tao County wasn't a great place; it could be treated as his own backyard.
Besides being kept close because she wasn't pregnant, Wang Yi also needed someone to manage the governor's mansion in Didao.
Wang Yi was the most suitable as his principal wife, and Lu Ming rarely let Wang Yi have sex with other women.
Basically, it was just him and his sister having a threesome.
The main reason was to save face; the principal wife needed to maintain her authority to keep everyone in check.
A well-managed harem is harmonious.
An unmanaged harem is chaotic.
The most typical example is Emperor Ling's harem. Empress He poisoned the beautiful concubine, which was the cause of the harem's collapse. If you can't even save your life, what's the point of talking about love and affection? It's completely ineffective.
Arriving at Didao, this capital city had over 600,000 inhabitants.
Moreover, it was controlled by the Tong, Yu, and Chu families. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, almost every prefecture and county had its own powerful clans.
They had occupied this area for many years, and their influence had spread everywhere.
They controlled food, resources, and so on; their influence was so deep that they seemed too powerful to fail.
Jia Xu was already waiting at the city gate, accompanied by a middle-aged, portly man with a beaming smile, almost like a smiling Buddha.
Behind them were several servants, including a tall, imposing figure—Zhou Tai, sent to protect Jia Xu and seize his military power.
Both were former wandering knights like Xu Shu. Xu Shu had risen to prominence, becoming the chief strategist, while Zhou Tai had become a county magistrate, a position of some recognition.
The two stood at the city gate, neither Jia Xu nor the man speaking. They stood in the cold wind, seemingly waiting for something.
"Mr. Wenhe, the governor's entourage has arrived," Tong Kuang said, looking at the black dot appearing ahead, shifting his weight slightly to ease his aching legs.
"Only you, sir, can understand the intentions of Registrar Tong. As long as we follow you, the Tong family will remain the Tong family, and we will remain people." Jia Xu's words were somewhat cryptic, but it was clear that he had not only stabilized the situation but also successfully won over one of the families.
The Tong, Yu, and Chu families were like the four great families of Chang'an, intermarrying and forming close-knit groups.
After decades of development, they had become an inseparable entity.
Every new prefect who came here either colluded with them, conforming to their corrupt ways, or was driven out.
Their decrees couldn't even reach the county government; they were essentially powerless.
And they wouldn't run for prefect; that would be a nail in the coffin. They simply remained quietly in their positions, quietly amassing wealth.
This approach was incredibly clever. Perhaps they couldn't grow powerful, but being able to wreak havoc in the region and become local warlords was more than enough.
Jia Xu also encountered setbacks upon his initial arrival, but being a renowned scholar of Xiliang, the three powerful families didn't make things too difficult for him.
At first, Jia Xu kept a low profile, visiting people, fishing, and ignoring official duties, continuing his usual routine as if he were simply there to cultivate his health. This lulled the three powerful families into a false sense of security.