Lu Shi reprimanded the men angrily. Even if Chu Yanxi had committed an unforgivable crime, he was still a prince, the emperor's own son.
If they merely played around and taught Chu Yanxi a lesson, it would be one thing. But if they went too far and left any obvious scars on Chu Yanxi, and the Emperor saw them, not only would their lives be in danger due to the Emperor's wrath, but the young general would also be implicated.
They were about to arrive at the imperial prison. As long as they handed over Chu Yanxi safely and without injury, their mission would be considered complete. There was no need to continue to trouble Chu Yanxi. If anything were to happen, the loss would outweigh the gain.
"Lord Lu, I was just speaking carelessly. Please don't be angry. I'll leave now... I'll leave now."
The reprimanded soldiers realized they had indeed said too much. They quickly admitted their mistakes, even slapping their own mouths a couple of times. Bowing their heads, they hurried to the back of the team.
Upon arriving at the prison gate, Lu Shi removed the sock stuffed in Chu Yanxi's mouth. As he drew close, he was hit by a foul odor. Lu Shi quickly threw the sock far away. He didn't know whose sock it was, but it was truly smelly, enough to make one faint.
Conversely, the moment the sock was removed, Chu Yanxi immediately vomited, wishing he could expel all the sourness from his stomach.
Lu Shi, after being subjected to the sock's assault, now had to face Chu Yanxi's pools of vomit, and he almost couldn't help but vomit himself.
"Hurry up and take him inside!"
Lu Shi said, suppressing the discomfort in his stomach. These clueless individuals only knew how to stand behind and watch the show, not offering any help. The priority was to quickly get the person inside.
"Yes, Lord Lu!"
The two men still standing at the back had some foresight and quickly responded. They each took an arm of Chu Yanxi and escorted him into the imperial prison.
Lu Shi reached to wipe his nose. As his hand rose, before it even reached his nose, he caught a whiff of the foul odor, almost making him faint.
"You all go back and wash your feet, and wash those dirty socks that have been stored for months. They are truly capable of stinking a person to death!"
Lu Shi glared at the men behind him with disgust. They appeared respectable on the surface, but unexpectedly so unhygienic behind their backs. Those socks alone could have stunk a bull to death.
Not to mention that the sock had been stuffed into Chu Yanxi's mouth. Thinking about it now, he felt a bit of sympathy for Chu Yanxi. To inexplicably smell their dirty socks, who else could tolerate such an odor?
"Lord Lu, isn't this how we've always been? When we go to war, we can't even get a proper meal, so where do we have the time for cleanliness? Some of our socks haven't been washed in half a year, and we still wear them, don't we? We never felt anything wrong with it."
"Exactly, Lord Lu. Haven't we all come this way? It's been so many years, and the brothers are already used to it."
The men below murmured, all holding a similar opinion about not washing their socks, remarkably united on this point.
Lu Shi was utterly speechless at their remarks, truly not understanding how they could say such things so righteously.
"That was when we were on the battlefield, and everything was focused on the war. Not washing socks or maintaining hygiene was unavoidable. But now... now we are in the capital, and there is no war to fight. We only train. Surely you have time to wash your socks? In the end, it's just that you've all gotten used to being lazy!"
"What's the big deal? We are just..."
"Silence! Stop making excuses. Go back tonight and sort out your hygiene. Tomorrow I will inspect the camp. If I find anyone still hiding dirty socks or unwashed clothes or bedding, they will all be punished by military law!"
Lu Shi could no longer stand their slovenly appearance and finally issued a strict order.
Before, on the battlefield, everyone was disheveled out of necessity. But now, it was different. They were in the capital, yet they remained so filthy.
If word of this spread, people would only mock their Black Armored Army for being unprofessional, bringing shame upon them all.
Everyone pouted, their faces showing clear unwillingness. They had always been this way. Why must they make a fuss this time and start paying attention to hygiene?
Asking them, rough men, to go into battle was something they would do without hesitation. But to ask them to wash clothes and clean daily like women felt incredibly awkward, as if a horse's mouth had been grafted onto a donkey's head – it just looked wrong no matter how you viewed it.
"What are you dawdling for? Now that you have time, hurry back and tidy up!"
With Lu Shi's command, the men all ran in one direction. In the blink of an eye, there was no one left in sight.
Lu Shi carefully raised his hand to his nose and sniffed. He gagged several times. The smell was truly unbearable. No, he had to go back and wash his hands quickly.
After settling Chu Yanxi, Lu Shi then went to report to Ling Mohan.
"Young General, Chu Yanxi has also been escorted to the imperial prison and is being held in solitary confinement, ensuring no one can contact him."
Ling Mohan put down the scroll he was holding. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke, "Well done. Assign more troops around the imperial prison to ensure Chu Yanxi's safety within the prison. If any mistakes occur with the person, you will be held responsible!"
"Your subordinate understands!"
"You may go. You've been busy for several days. You should go back and rest today."
Ling Mohan finally decided to be magnanimous and not torment Lu Shi any further today. He only had Lu Shi as a capable subordinate. He couldn't keep ordering Lu Shi around day and night like this.
If the man were to be exhausted, where would he find such a capable person? In the end, it would be he who suffered. He needed Lu Shi to rest well so he could continue to be commanded.
"Thank you, Young General. If you have no other matters, your subordinate will take his leave."
Suppressing the joy in his heart, Lu Shi asked cautiously.
"You may go!"
The moment Ling Mohan spoke, Lu Shi hastily retreated. He had been busy for days and hadn't even had a full night's sleep. Today, he could finally go back and rest properly. If he didn't leave now, he'd be a fool.