That night.
Xiao Langyan had already taken a bath and was leaning on the couch reading a book. At the beginning of Xu Shi, Shen Dingzhu was nowhere to be seen.
It was getting late, Xu Shou came in and asked if the candle had been extinguished. Xiao Langyan closed the book and asked with dark eyes: "Where did Shen Dingzhu go?"
Xu Shou was startled: "When I passed by the side room just now, I saw the lights inside were on. Miss Shen may be in the house, but do you want my servant to tell her about it?"
Xiao Langyan closed his book and stood up, walked out of the room with a cold expression, and opened the door of Shen Dingzhu's room. She was threading needles and threads in front of the candle. Her delicate and pretty face was covered with a layer of peach blossom-like pink, making her look even more delicate. .
Seeing Xiao Langyan coming from the corner of his eye, Shen Dingzhu quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty."
Xu Shou said directly: "Miss Shen, why are you still thinking about embroidery? The prince is going to bed and is waiting for you to make the bed!"
Shen Dingzhu's long eyelashes fluttered and fluttered, like agile butterfly wings, and she said obediently: "Your Majesty didn't summon you, so I don't know where to go."
She's playing dumb.
Xiao Langyan narrowed his thin eyes, and there was a dangerous signal in his long and narrow eyes: "What did you forget to ask me for?"
Xu Shou knew these private words and concluded that he could no longer listen to them, so he resigned.
Shen Dingzhu lowered his head, revealing his thin white neck: "I haven't forgotten, but thinking about it, I couldn't ask the prince to help me with so much money, so I went to pawn all the clothes and jewelry given by Miss Fu in the afternoon, and exchanged them for Eighty taels."
Add in Zhou Luli's remaining money, and it's exactly one hundred taels.
Xiao Langyan crossed his arms and sneered, with a bad tone: "You really didn't disappoint me. You will do whatever you can to take advantage of me."
Shen Dingzhu's cheeks were burning. She also knew that this was not good, but she had made up her mind not to use sex to charm her in this life, so she avoided such intimate things if she could.
Her red lips parted slightly: "Then the prince promised me to send money to Mobei..."
Xiao Langyan stopped talking to her and interrupted: "Come and make the bed."
He turned around and left. Shen Dingzhu's face turned slightly pale. She was afraid that she would not be able to escape tonight, so she followed him to the main house resignedly.
The bed was made, and the pillows had long been replaced by buckwheat pillows made for him by Shen Dingzhu.
When Shen Dingzhu was about to get on the bed, Xiao Langyan said coldly: "Get out."
She hurriedly put out the candle and exited the inner room.
Shen Dingzhu didn't get a positive answer from Xiao Langyan just now, so Shen Dingzhu didn't dare to go far, fearing that Xiao Langyan would regret it, so she stayed in the outer room in case he suddenly called for help.
The next day it was dark and Xiao Langyan was going to the palace to attend the morning court. When Xu Shou came in, he was shocked when he saw Shen Dingzhu sleeping soundly beside the chair in the outer room.
After Xiao Langyan finished putting on his clothes, he frowned when he saw the huddled figure in the outer room.
Shen Dingzhu's side face was covered by a strand of black hair, revealing half of her fair and beautiful face, with thick long eyelashes and snow-skinned red lips. She was really sleeping peacefully.
Xu Shou said hurriedly: "I will wake up Miss Shen now."
"I don't have time to bother with her." Xiao Langyan said coldly and walked away.
Half an hour later, Shen Dingzhu woke up with a sore back and looked into the inner room. No one was there.
She had a bad feeling in her heart. Xiao Langyan must have seen her sleeping so deeply and made him unhappy last night, fearing that he would not help anymore.
Shen Dingzhu quickly changed her clothes, freshened up a little, informed the concierge, and went out to buy needlework. The boot soles she made for Xiao Langyan were almost finished.
Coming out of the needle shop, Shen Dingzhu heard familiar hurried calls: "Miss! Miss!"
When she looked up, she saw two couples, guarding a familiar figure fiercely. When she passed by Shen Dingzhu, the other party became even more anxious: "Miss, she is a slave!"
"Shen Bi?" Shen Dingzhu was surprised and happy.
After the fall of the Shen family, all the young female relatives became slaves and were sold everywhere by the government.
Shen Bi was her personal maid and had been serving Shen Dingzhu since she was a child. When the incident occurred, Shen Dingzhu was about to be sold to two men with fierce faces by the government.
Shen Bi was afraid that she would be humiliated, so he was bought away in her place and later disappeared without a trace.
In the previous life, after Shen Dingzhu became favored, she tried to get Shen Bi back, but it was said that she was tossed around several times and ended up living in a brothel. She soon contracted an illness and died soon without even a grave.
Seeing each other again in this life, she was so excited that she grabbed Shen Bi's hand and her eyes became red.
The woman's harsh scoldings came from the side, and she pushed Shen Dingzhu away: "Don't delay things, why don't you get out of the way!"
Shen Bi hurriedly asked Shen Dingzhu for help: "Miss, save the slave, they are going to sell the slave to a brothel!"
The woman stared at Shen Dingzhu, looked her up and down, and said in a mean tone: "Are you the young lady from her family? This maid has been lazy since we bought her from the government. She is clumsy even in carrying water. Now we are going to sell her. Well, if you don’t redeem her life, then get out of the way and waste our time!”
Shen Bi shook her head with tears: "No, miss, they let the slave sleep in the cow pen every day, and they only allowed one hour of sleep every day. They beat and scolded the slave frequently. The slave is really tired. Miss, please save the slave!" "
Shen Dingzhu immediately looked at the couple with a cold expression: "How much does it cost to redeem her from you?"
The couple looked at each other, a calculating light bursting out of their eyes. The man stretched out his hand and made a number.
"Ninety taels."
Shen Dingzhu was shocked and angry: "You are robbing openly."
The number of maids and slaves bought from the government should not exceed ten taels at most.
The woman snorted coldly: "This dead girl is pretty and pretty. The madam has paid fifty taels for her. If you can't afford the money, stop talking nonsense."
Shen Dingzhu bit her red lips tightly. In the autumn wind, her delicate figure looked thin and her face was embarrassed.
She happens to have some money now, but she plans to send it to Mobei to support her parents. Without the money, her mother will freeze to death this winter. But if she doesn't save Shen Bi, she can only watch her fall into the world. .
Seeing that she was silent, the woman winked: "Let's go."
Shen Bi cried with a hoarse voice, hooked Shen Dingzhu's sleeves, and kept struggling: "Miss, Miss!"
The man pushed her away, and finally, Shen Dingzhu said, "I'll give you money."
She opened her purse, took out five taels, and then handed the entire purse over: "Here are ninety taels."
Only a corner of the purse was opened, revealing the white silver ingots. The couple's eyes sparkled, and the man stretched out his hand to grab it.
Shen Dingzhu avoided it, her beautiful eyes were cold: "Give me Shen Bi and her body contract, and I will give you money."
The woman apologized and said, "That's right. I'll give the lady a body contract."
She took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, snatched the purse from Shen Dingzhu's hand, counted the money, and smiled from ear to ear.
Shen Dingzhu unfolded the paper and read it again, his expression suddenly became stern: "This is not her contract."
The woman glanced at her and said, "Of course not. What you are holding in your hand is the sale deed signed by us and the madam. I will use the money you gave me to refund the madam's money later!"
Shen Dingzhu's face was flushed with anger, and his eyes were bright with anger: "Then let me take Shen Bi away first."
The woman looked up and smiled: "That's not possible. You just bought her with your money. At most we won't send her to a brothel. However, during these days when she was in my house, she ate and drank from us. Yes, if you want to take it away, you have to give us another thirty taels."
Shen Dingzhu's expression changed: "Don't be greedy. If you do this again, we will go to court to argue."
The woman was not afraid at all, and snorted: "Tch, you think I'm afraid of you reporting to the government? We have her body deed, and it has the seal of the government. No matter what you say, we are all responsible."
Shen Dingzhu pursed her red lips. She was weak now and had no confidence to deal with such a rogue.
Finally, the couple pointed to the teahouse behind them and said: "In three days, you will bring her thirty taels, and we will wait for you here. If you don't come, then don't blame us for being rude and selling her again." Got it!"
Shen Bi was forcibly dragged away by them, and she kept crying for help, which struck Shen Dingzhu's heart.
She returned to the palace half-heartedly, feeling that all the roads in front of her were gloomy and uncertain. Not only was the money gone, but Shen Bi was also not saved.
At this time, Xu Shou knocked on the door with a man who looked like a guard.
"Eunuch Xu, what's the matter?" Shen Dingzhu came to his senses.
"This is bodyguard Ling Feng. The prince has ordered that Miss Shen just give him the money, and he will be responsible for sending it to Mobei quickly."
Shen Dingzhu's face suddenly turned pale.
