Difficult to be a Concubine

When Mu Fengchai was only eight or nine years old, she was already thrown into Cai Yi Pavilion to learn to be a manager. After all these years of training, she had already treated people like her own son.

"Cousin, it's better to stay by your side!"

He immediately came to Mu Rousang's side and hugged her arm, acting like a spoiled child!

"If you shake me again, my arm will fall apart. Good timing, we are stacking gold and silver ingots, tomorrow we are going to worship our ancestors, do you want to come with us?" Mu Rousang pointed to the gold and silver parchment scattered on the Eight Immortals Table, and asked Mu Fengchai with a mischievous smile.

She turned her head and smiled, "No need, my mother has already prepared a lot for my big sister, and has also invited others to wear clothes and jewelry for her. She said that a few days ago, my big sister asked her to give me a dream, and said that she is living in the underground, but her hands are a little tight, and she doesn't have enough incense. My mother has prepared a lot more, and said that when big sister was alive, she did not expect a good day.

"Don't worry. Every year, when Big Brother and I make sacrifices, we burn quite a bit of paper money for Big Sister. When she was still alive, she wanted to live a good life, and once we go to the underworld, we can't make her suffer." Mu Rousang didn't like Mu Feng Er, but she didn't hate her either. Furthermore, when a person dies a big death, she burned quite a bit of paper money every year.

The two of them talked about family matters, and Mu Fengchai laughed: "Cousin sister, if it wasn't for cousin brother sending people to pick me up, I'm afraid it would take some time before I return home."

Mu Rousang asked in shock: "Cai Yi Pavilion's business is so good?" According to common sense, now was the time to relax. The spring shirts of rich families were already prepared, and it was still a bit early to leave the summer dresses.

Mu Fengchai pursed her lips and laughed: "Come to think of it, I still have to thank Your Majesty, if not for him being such an elder, our Cai Yi Pavilion would not be so popular. You should know that right now, our shop's doors are almost broken, and we spend all our time buying wedding clothes, and also our shop's red brocade, I'm afraid that we won't even need to use it at the end of the year.

One of the selections made people anxious, several happy and a few sad.

Hearing that, Mu Rousang thought about it, the shops in the city were still in such a state, then the one in Xiangyang and the one in Shu City, became even more popular: "Seems like I have to arrange for people to go to Xiangyang to purchase a batch of Yun Jin, and for the candidates, I have to carefully think about it."

"Oh right, Brother Chun Mu and the shopkeeper of the cotton shop have both said that the business of those two stores has plummeted. In other words, they are also good. Our embroidery manor is flourishing now, but the other two stores aren't that good."

"Business is bound to be affected. Now that the selection is making people uneasy, the people are not in the mood to produce. Who would spend their time on dressing up? Since they're short on money, they might as well eat their rations." Mu Rousang shook her head helplessly.

Mu Fengchai slapped her own leg and said: "That's exactly the reason, today, in the county, the ladies and lass who like to shop all day, as well as the young masters and servants, have all disappeared. The streets have long since lost the liveliness of the past, and there are only the scattered crutches carrying Old A'ang and the old granny who are trading here and there."

Mu Rousang shook her head, hoping that the matter regarding the selection would be over quickly. On the second day, Mu Jinzhi and her two siblings, Zuo Ren Xian and Yang Zixuan, went to pay their respects to the ancestors of the Mu Family.

Mu Jinzhi and Mu Rousang knelt in front of their parents' grave. After three incense sticks of time, he then said: "Father and mother, your child will not pay the price you entrusted to me, and will raise your little sister. Now that we have already arranged a marriage for her, you can rest assured that our future brother-in-law will be the son of the Marquis of Jing Yi, I will take care of your little sister, do not let anyone bully her."

After saying that, she brought Mu Rousang and respectfully kowtowed three times, then turned around and said to Yang Zixuan: "Big Brother Yang, you come over to see my parents as well.

Yang Zixuan kowtowed on the incense before turning to Mu Rousang who was wearing a soft shawl and saying with a smile, "Two elders can be at ease. I, Yang Zixuan, have only married Mu Rousang for one in this life, so of course I will treat her sincerely. Whoever bullies her will slap my face.

"Yang Zixuan!" Mu Rousang suddenly felt that she was very lucky to have passed through.

Seeing Mu Rousang looking at him emotionally, Yang Zixuan was wild with joy, but on the surface, she said with concern: "Jin'zhi, it's time you tell your parents. I'm afraid the two of you will not be able to be like today and worship your ancestors."

Mu Jinzhi said: "Yes, today I have to specifically inform Father and Mother about two things. Now that my little sister's marriage has been decided, I will be entering Office of the Crown Prince next year to study, and my uncle's family will probably have to move back to the capital as well. There is no reason for them to leave my little sister behind, next year, I and my little sister will not be able to personally sweep the grave for my father and mother."

The spring breeze blew, paper money flew everywhere, the surrounding magnolia trees rustled. Listening carefully, it seemed to be saying: Go, go!

After offering sacrifices to their ancestors, the matter of the selection became more and more serious. In the end, it was said that officials rushed into the house to arrest people, scaring the girls so much that the young masters did not dare to leave their homes lightly.

One day, Aunt Liu came in and picked a curtain. She walked to Mu Rousang, who was embroidering a big red wedding dress, and said: "Miss, Manager Zhang is talking back and forth, three out of the family workers are missing."

As the officials took the order to enter each county, the atmosphere around the village became more and more lively. Soon, most of the land was abandoned, and the matter of farming was postponed for a long time.

Mu Rousang put down the embroidery needle in her hand and said worriedly: I wonder when these officials will be able to stop, I'm fine with talking about it at home, I already got the news and started working a few days earlier, the losses are relatively smaller, I've already told the Manager Zhang, before I could even land the seedlings, I had already used my full power on the fields for a few years already, and took this chance to rest.

"What about the missing workers? Someone has already come to look for the Manager Zhang, he just sent a letter. "

It was still too early for Aunt Liu to enter the palace. Back then, she was also forcefully dragged into the palace by Mao Zedong. A few years later, she had asked about it many times in private, but she could not find any news of her family.

Mu Rousang stood up and stretched her body, then said: "Just tell the people that they have their own plans, and try to console them, then call Manager Zhang to take my brother's letter to the county magistrate, if his family lost someone, it would be better to report it to the official, so that in the future, the workers will not come to talk nonsense."

The Aunt Liu was greatly relieved in her heart. Mu Rousang's governing body really did not need her to worry about it in the slightest.

Receiving Mu Rousang's instructions, she turned around and went out to tell the news to the person who arrived.

Two more days passed, and as expected, the sound of the wind grew stronger and stronger, and the wooden doors of every household were closed. Anyone who had a daughter, regardless of their age, was confined within their house.

Who would have thought that the officials would happily reply in such a manner? One by one, they took advantage of this opportunity to capture quite a few beautiful ladies and hand them over. Some of them even flowed into the residence of those officials.

Little Mountain Village was famous for being a well-bred girl. Who knew that the new county magistrate, in order to win the favor of the eunuchs, would immediately hand over the name of the village, including the age of the women in the village?

Who knew that the eunuch had been signalled by the Grand Preceptor to take a good look around the small mountain village, giving the title of 'a beautiful woman comes from the best waters of a beautiful mountain'?

Very soon, this eunuch brought along some officials who had been tormenting the entire way, inspecting the house door by door in a very orderly manner. Some of the servants who were closer to the age and had good looks were caught and stuffed into the female army.

By the time the village chief received the news, the eunuch had already entered the village. Helpless, he had no choice but to send people to the village to tell them that he had hidden his unmarried daughter, that he had changed into his best clothes, and had prepared some wine and mountain game for them to eat. In the end, he had to come across some things, and only hoped that this eunuch would be easy to talk to and collect some silver.

"Old Village Head, that eunuch has already brought someone here. It's only three miles away from our little mountain village." A servant came back in a hurry on a mule, but before he could get off the mule, he shouted for his report.

The Village Chief was shocked. Three miles? He came quickly, and then thought that he might not be able to handle it alone, so he said: "Quick, go and invite Jin'a, Master Zuo's second son, and Marquis of Loyalty's second son together."

Mu Jinzhi and the others were initially reciting a poem to reward the spring light at home, but after hearing that the village chief invited them, they brought their servants and rushed back to the village chief's house.

"Village Head Grandpa, are your body and bones alright?" Mu Jinzhi saw that the village chief was dressed neatly in front of the courtyard entrance, and he felt very strange in his heart.

The village chief sighed, "I heard that the father-in-law is about to arrive. As a country bumpkin, I've never seen such a beautiful scenery before. I've invited you here to help with the entertaining so as to avoid a disaster in our village."

The village chief could only manage three acres of land in the small mountain village. He could not control a single eunuch.

"Village Head Grandpa, you just need to rest assured. With us …"

"Master, something terrible has happened. Wang Lizheng's eldest daughter has also been taken away."

The few of them were startled, then Mu Jinzhi asked: "Is she the daughter of the prince from next door?"

In reply to Young Master Mu's words, yes, I heard that his daughter was engaged, but when the man sent the letter of engagement, it was already a cup of tea late, and the person had already been captured. Wang Zhong's wife had already fainted, and this servant also had a distant relative living next to his house.

This was a steward hired by the village chief. When he heard the news, he secretly celebrated the fact that he had only three sons.

The village chief immediately sent people to secretly tell everyone to hide their daughters well, so that they would not be robbed by these officials.

"It's here, it's here!" Another servant rushed over to report to him.