Half an hour later, Chu Tiankuo and Chu Yuehou left.
After the two left, Gu took out a purse and gave it to Xingnong. "This is the money your great aunt-in-law gave me. Let us help find out where Yingying was sold to, buy her back, and send her back to Futai County. Ask someone to check and buy her back, and don't let her end up in a bad place. This way, we have done our best."
Gu also knew that Xingnong didn't like Zhou Yingying, but she was the only granddaughter of her eldest brother Gu Yuxia after all. Although her personality was not pleasing, as a relative, she would not want to see her reduced to a slave or sold to a brothel.
After all, the child just went astray and was blinded by wealth and fame. He is not a heartless or unforgivable person.
Anyway, Gu couldn't bear to see her fall to this state. Even if her sister-in-law didn't say anything, she planned to take Zhou Yingying back with her.
Xing Nong took it and said, "I know. I will buy the person back and send him back to Futai County. Grandma, don't worry."
Gu sighed. Everyone makes mistakes when they are young, but some mistakes are too costly. "I hope Yingying can learn from this and be a down-to-earth person in the future. Right now, your uncle and aunt are so worried that they can't sleep well at night."
Xing Nong did not agree with this. How could she sleep well with such a granddaughter? Some people would change themselves after learning a lesson, but some would not. It depends on one's ideological awareness. She also did not know what kind of person Zhou Yingying was now.
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoxi said, “Don’t worry, mother, Yingying will be fine.”
Shen Ruoxi found that the sisters in the family seemed to have a miserable fate, each with their own difficulties, just like Ruolan... Thinking of Shen Ruolan, she finally remembered that the servant came to report that Shen Ruolan and Wen Ruiqing were here.
Shen Ruoxi stood up with a look of regret and said to Xingnong: "Oh my God! I forgot that your aunt and uncle are here! Xingnong, hurry up! Let's go and bring them over to see your grandma."
Xing Nong stood up after hearing this and walked out with Shen Ruoxi, but after she went out, she said to Shen Ruoxi: "I'll go buy Zhou Yingying back first, mother, you entertain my aunt and the others!"
Xing Nong didn't want to greet the couple at all.
Shen Ruoxi was also worried that Zhou Yingying would be bought by someone else, and she would not be able to explain to her uncle's family when she returned, so she said, "Then you go!"
She hurried to the flower hall herself.
Xingnong returned to his own courtyard. As for buying Zhou Yingying, he let Songbai go. Songbai must know where Zhou Yingying was sold.
Xing Nong had Song Bai called over and gave him the purse. "Go find out which official agency the Yao family's female students are sold to, and help me buy back a girl named Zhou Yingying. But there's no rush. Let her learn a lesson, but don't let her get hurt. Just make sure I can buy her back in the end."
Songbai understood what he said, and he immediately said, "Don't worry, Miss Xingnong, I promise to get it done!"
Songbai knew clearly where the family scrolls of the Liang and Yao families were sold.
These women were bought and sold based on their status in the family and their crimes.
Female scrolls that had killed people or participated in treason, like the mistress of the Song porcelain kiln and the concubine of Prime Minister Liang, were executed.
Those women who were forcibly taken back by the Liang and Yao families were sent back to their original homes.
People like Zhou Yingying, who had just married into the family and had not committed any crime, but was considered half a master, would be demoted to official slaves and sold by official agents.
As for who will buy it, no one cares.
However, because the concubines and maids of these wealthy families are generally very beautiful, many brothels will go to the official agency to select people first and pick those with potential.
When Songbai arrived at Guanya, Zhou Yingying had already been bought by the brothel's madam.
He checked which brothel she was bought from, then went back to the brothel and found that Zhou Yingying had just been taken back by the madam when she was spotted by an old man in his sixties and a butcher in his forties.
The madam knew that she was a concubine before, so she asked her to receive customers directly, and let the old man and the butcher compete to see who had the highest bid. In the end, the old man won.
Zhou Yingying was almost scared to death watching the two men bidding, and begged the madam with tears in her eyes to let her go.
Songbai found the madam and said something to her in private.
After hearing what Songbai said, the madam told Zhou Yingying that Mr. Zhou’s family was wealthy, and comforted her that if she served him well, Mr. Zhou might even redeem her and make her the 20th concubine in his family!
They also said that she was born in a good family, and that she married the dwarf son of the Yao family as a concubine just to covet the Yao family's wealth. Then they said that Mr. Zhou's family was also rich, and that she would be guaranteed to have a good life. It was just that the mistress was more difficult to serve, but as a concubine, you had to see the mistress's mood. This was the same in any rich family, but there was no need to be afraid, as long as you didn't commit any crime, you wouldn't be sold again, which was better than being in a brothel!
Anyway, the madam said a lot, and seeing that she was so pale with fear, she must have been scared, and finally said: "... ... serve Mr. Zhou well. If you serve well, he will redeem you, and you may become a rich concubine again! If you don't serve well and offend Mr. Zhou, starting tomorrow, I will arrange for you to work as a butcher, a coachman, or the like. Think about it! Dress up well, and go out to receive customers in a while!"
After saying this, the madam went out.
Zhou Yingying felt extremely sad when she heard this, "Wow..."
She regretted it. Why did she disobey her aunt and grandfather in the first place
She just wanted to go back to a few months ago, and never come to Beijing~
She doesn't want to be Mr. Zhou's concubine!
She also doesn't want to marry into the Yao family as a concubine!
She will never be anyone's concubine again!
So miserable!
Woohoo... .
~
The next day, Songbai came to Xingnong to report: "... The person has been rescued. I arranged for her to follow the caravan back to Futai County tomorrow. Miss Xingnong, do you want to meet her?"
Xing Nong thought about it and felt that Gu might want to see her. She was also curious whether she had really come to her senses and said, "Bring her over here!"
"Yes!" Songbai responded and went to make arrangements.
Half an hour later, Zhou Yingying was brought by Songbai to Xingnong and Gu.
The weather was good today, Xingnong carried Gu out and sat in the yard to bask in the sun.
The spring sunshine is not too hot, and getting more sun exposure can also promote bone growth.
Zhou Yingying didn't dare to look around as she walked along, and even kept her head down in front of Gu, Xingnong and others.
Seeing that she was too embarrassed to see anyone, Gu sighed and asked softly, "You have suffered a lot, child. Do you want to stay in the capital and wait for my leg to get better, and then go home together, or do you want to go home with the caravan tomorrow?"
Zhou Yingying immediately said, "I want to go home with the caravan."
She already knew that Xing Nong was the Crown Princess who was married to her by the Emperor himself, otherwise she would not have been rescued this time.
But even if Xing Nong was the Crown Princess, she would never be able to get rid of her identity as a government slave in this life.
Once you become a government slave, you will be a government slave for life.
So she wanted to go home. She didn't dare to stay in the capital, and she didn't dare to dream of marrying into a wealthy family anymore!
She was afraid of being sold again!
Upon hearing this, Gu said, "That's good. Your grandpa and grandma have been so worried that they can't sleep these days. If you go back early, it will also put their minds at ease."
Zhou Yingying burst into tears when she heard this.
If she had listened to her aunt, grandparents, and not come to the capital and marry into the Yao family, she would not have become a government slave!