Lu Ming's decision not to kill Gongsun Zan was already incredibly magnanimous.
Therefore, taking Lady Hou into his service was perfectly reasonable.
Since his elder and younger sisters were still menstruating and unable to serve him, he could use the enemy's wife and daughters to relieve his pent-up desires.
Lady Hou, who was offered her services that night, did not refuse but silently accepted the situation.
Chastity was very important to her, because being forced into military prostitution was clearly worse than death.
However, if she was only serving Lu Ming, it could be considered a remarriage, and not something unacceptable.
No woman wants to be slept with by many men; she only hopes to have one for life.
After meeting with the former officials in Ji City, Lu Ming put Shen Pei, who had accompanied him, in charge of the city's affairs.
If Shen Pei hadn't been involved in the internal strife, she would have been a rather good strategist. She was skilled in both literature and martial arts; while not top-tier, she was certainly first-rate.
And after their heart-to-heart talk that day, Shen Pei began to approach her work with a completely new perspective. Obeying Lu Ming was to save Yuan Shao's life, which could be considered a form of loyalty to the Yuan family.
This loyalty was fundamentally different from Guan Yu's loyalty to Cao Cao. Guan Yu had room for maneuver because Liu Bei was still alive and not yet captured.
Yuan Shao, however, had already been captured and defeated; there was no possibility of a comeback. This kind of loyalty was like a charade turned real.
It was merely for the sake of the pitiful face and self-esteem among scholars.
"Ji City has great potential for development. It leads to Liaodong, a fertile and prosperous region."
"Coldness does not equate to poverty. You should pay close attention to this in the future. Suppress the powerful clans and take control of Ji City." "
Lu Ming accompanied Shen Pei on his inspection tour of Ji City, already having some ideas in mind.
Development would take time, and what he needed was to control large tracts of land and then command the people to work.
With everyone united, things would naturally get done.
"Yes, my lord." "
Shen Pei's change in address signified his decision to pledge allegiance. Following a lord determines one's career; without ambition for historical renown, such a devotion is impossible.
Lu Ming, after only a brief tour, pointed out numerous shortcomings.
The city's sanitation was poor, the farmland outside was overgrown with weeds, and the street planning was inadequate.
More importantly, the city's security was problematic; there were too many thugs. Taking advantage of the war, those who bullied men and women in the countryside were to be arrested and forced into labor.
Shen Pei believed that Lu Ming's ability to unify half the country must have its reasons.
With just a few words, Lu Ming's true character was revealed: a lord intimately familiar with the layout of the cities, a pragmatic lord, not one driven by empty rhetoric!" Besides keeping Gongsun Zan, Lu Ming also kept Liu Yu.
He needed Liu Yu's reputation; Liu Yu had an excellent name when he served as the governor of Youzhou.
A governor who could be loved by the people was somewhat unbelievable in this era.
Liu Yu had achieved this, possessing such a reputation, so Lu Ming kept him and appointed him as his chief advisor.
The reason he could do this was because of Empress Dowager Dong. Empress Dowager Dong became empress dowager because of Emperor Ling, and she had also helped Liu Yu rise to power.
Before they rose to power, Hejian Kingdom and Youzhou were geographically close.
Lu Ming used the imperial harem to bring Empress Dowager Dong to him, so she could persuade Liu Yu.
Liu Yu was a member of the Han imperial family; having him work for Lu Ming was a good idea. He would rather die than do this.
When Empress Dowager Dong arrived, she told him that everything was being prepared for Liu Bian's sake. Lu Ming was merely a puppet in the limelight, and he should cooperate wholeheartedly.
She said a lot, trying to dissuade Liu Yu from this idea.
But Liu Yu, being a kind-hearted man, wouldn't declare himself king, and even refused the title of prince offered to him. He was a rare member of the Han imperial family who genuinely worked for the people.
With Empress Dowager Dong's help, Liu Yu believed this was a matter of restoring the Han dynasty, and therefore worked exceptionally hard.
He never expected that Lu Ming would even live in the palace. Could such a treasonous act be faked?
Speaking of it, even a pig wouldn't believe it!
However, Empress Dowager Dong was the Empress Dowager and Liu Bian's grandmother; she would never change her mind or rebel. Alright!
In fact, Empress Dowager Dong had been raped by Lu Ming at will, especially when Lu Ming was in Chang'an. Every few days, he would summon her and Empress Dowager He Lian to serve him in bed.
She herself had been raped by Lu Ming and became pregnant, giving birth to a daughter for him. How could she still be the Empress Dowager of the Han Dynasty?
After a busy day, Lu Ming returned to the governor's mansion in the evening.
He took a nice bath with the help of his maids before going to Gongsun Zan's bedroom.
This used to be Gongsun Zan's residence, but now Gongsun Zan was a prisoner…
And Lu Ming had usurped his place, even taking his wife as his own!
Lady Hou was already waiting in the room, and sitting beside her was a young woman in her twenties, who also appeared to be a married woman.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Call me husband from now on, haha!"
Lu Ming roughly ripped off Hou's clothes, making this mature woman somewhat shy. She had originally planned to serve him in bed, but Lu Ming's impatience only made her blush.
Thus, Hou was stripped naked, her last shred of clothing torn away, and pulled into Lu Ming's arms.
Those charming, amorous eyes, that high, straight nose, those full, soft lips, that healthy, wheat-colored skin, those plump, full breasts, those soft, round... Her lower abdomen, full and rounded buttocks, long and shapely legs—naked, she displayed a curvaceous and perfectly sculpted mature woman's figure!
Hou's shy expression and voluptuous body ignited Lu Ming's lust; his penis throbbed wildly, and he swallowed hard to suppress the fire burning within him!
He gently caressed the mature woman's naked body, inhaling the fragrant scent emanating from her.
"Come on, get on the bed, I want to properly enjoy my lady!" "
Lady Hou's natural physiological response gradually led her to succumb to the pleasure of sex and the stimulation of carnal desire.
She involuntarily let out moans. Lu Ming's groin was already engorged and erect, his large, erect penis eager to release.
His left hand gently parted Lady Hou's two pink, moist petals, while his right hand grasped his thick, long penis, aiming it at Lady Hou's wet, sticky, and white-glowing vulva."