Chapter 463: Imperfect Laws
Returning to Changming Palace, Yuan Bao presented a cup of tea. Chu Qinghuang took the cup and said calmly: "Let them wait outside first. When three of them come in at a time, I will ask them in groups."
"yes."
Yuan Bao walked out, first called the three girls in front, and said: "Your Majesty, you can answer whatever you ask. You are not allowed to lie. Every question must be answered truthfully."
The three girls nodded uneasily in agreement.
Entering the palace, he knelt down and saluted in a panic. Whether the etiquette was standard or not obviously didn't matter at this time.
"Whose daughter are you?" Chu Qinghuang asked.
The first girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a pale face: "Cao'er, a folk girl, is...is...the daughter of the Jiang family in the west of the city. Her father likes to gamble. She lost a lot of money gambling, and she still...can't pay off her debts. Sold the civilian girl into Hongyue Tower..."
Chu Qinghuang frowned, "When did you sell it?"
"Last...last month..."
"What about after selling into Hongyue Building?"
"My mother asked the folk girl to pick up the guests, but the folk girl... the folk girl refused to obey. She locked the folk girl in the firewood shed and did not give her food or water. She was hungry for two days and two nights. Later... Later, my mother said, I want to give the daughter of a commoner to the prince, and from now on I will wear gold and silver with him, without having to show up in public..."
"You just agreed?"
The young girl shook her head hastily: "The girl has never been able to do it. My mother had people knock the girl out. After she woke up, she went to a dungeon..."
Chu Qinghuang understood and turned his eyes slightly: "Where are you?"
"Folk girls were also sold into Hongyue Tower." The second girl looked calmer, with a pale face, "My mother died young, and my stepmother gave birth to two younger sisters and a younger brother. There were many children in the family, and the stepmother He said he couldn't afford to raise so many children, so he sold the daughter into Hongyue Tower."
"Since you can't raise children, why don't you get married?" Chu Qinghuang asked lightly, "I think you should have reached the age of leaving the court."
"With a folk girl's background, the matchmaker looks for people who are well-matched. The betrothal gift given by her husband's family is not as much as the silver she would get from selling her body. The stepmother can get a full twenty taels of silver by selling the folk girl into the Hongyue Tower."
"Sold you into a brothel for twenty taels of silver?" Chu Qinghuang's expression turned cold, "Your father doesn't care?"
The girl shook her head slightly: "Father doesn't care, the stepmother makes the decision in everything."
Chu Qinghuang was silent for a moment and asked, "How long have you been in Hongyue Tower?"
"Three months."
"No pick-up?"
"No." The girl lowered her head, "The madam just lets the girls learn to dance. If they don't learn well, they will be beaten, and sometimes they will go hungry."
Chu Qinghuang didn't ask any more questions, and turned to look at the third girl. This girl was younger, at most twelve years old, and timid. Her eyes turned red with fear before she even asked.
Chu Qinghuang asked a few questions briefly and learned that she was also sold into the Red Mansion by her family. Although the girl was young, she had been sold into the Red Mansion for more than a year.
He is still at an age where he does not understand the world, but he has already encountered suffering early on.
Chu Qinghuang had a sullen face and ordered Yuan Bao to pass the message to other girls to come in.
After some inquiries, Chu Qinghuang learned that these girls were about the same age, two or three years apart, and the oldest was only fifteen. Except for a few orphans, the others were all willingly sold by their families. There has never been any abduction, trafficking or kidnapping.
This is probably because Chu Tianyin is cautious in doing things. After all, if a daughter of any family is missing or kidnapped, he will definitely report it to the officials. This will alert the government and the court. No one will pursue the daughter who is willing to sell it, so as to avoid causing unrest. Necessary trouble.
Using a brothel as a cover can also avoid attracting attention.
Fortunately, because of Chu Tianyin's special requirements and plans, most of these girls are still virgins and have not lost their innocence.
For a woman who values chastity more than her life, this is a blessing among misfortunes.
Chu Qinghuang closed his eyes and remained silent.
Auction or give to officials?
Thinking of the plan that Chu Tianyin planned to implement, Chu Qinghuang's delicate and noble brows were filled with chills, and his voice was as cold as ice: "Fucang."
"exist."
"Go and bring the Madam of Hongyue Tower, I want to live." Chu Qinghuang ordered, "It doesn't matter if you break your legs or feet, as long as you can speak."
"Yes." Fu Cang accepted the order and left.
Chu Qinghuang stood up and walked to the window, her eyebrows dyed with frost filled with evil spirits. Through the window, she looked thoughtfully at the girls who were taken down by Yuan Bao for temporary placement.
After being silent for a while, she turned and went to the imperial study room.
Chu Xuance, Wen Zhan and Yun Heng had been working in the imperial study. In the morning, after Chu Qinghuang went to court, he would discuss matters with the ministers in the imperial study. The three of them listened.
After noon, the three of them were responsible for completing the tasks assigned by Chu Qinghuang, organizing files, recording and sorting out important events that happened in the court, reciting the regulations of various ministries, and checking past cases.
But today, Chu Qinghuang gave them a new task.
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