After Hongshi was completely drunk and unconscious, Ruan Meiying summoned Guan Bin. When Guan Bin arrived and saw the utterly drunk Hongshi, he frowned in disgust. He then had Hongshi lifted up, placed in a sedan chair, and sent back. He turned around, got into the sedan chair, and returned to the county office, completely oblivious to the resentful look in Ruan Meiying's eyes behind him.
After seeing Hongshi and Guanbin off, Ruan Meiying summoned her maid, Xique, and said to Xique, "Xique, go back to Geshan Village right now! Tell my family some things for me."
The magpie asked in surprise, "Miss, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't Kaifeng Prefecture already send grain over? Has something happened in the village again?"
Upon hearing the magpie's question, Ruan Meiying sighed helplessly and then told her exactly what she had heard from Hongshi: the drought, bandits, and famine in Geshan Village, including Hongshi and Guan Bin's "kind" disaster relief efforts.
Upon hearing this, the magpie gritted its teeth in anger and muttered a curse: "These corrupt officials are all heartless beasts. They will surely get their comeuppance."
Ruan Meiying was also furious, her eyebrows furrowed. "They will stop at nothing to get promoted and even do such a thing that takes lives. These rich and powerful people never treat ordinary people as human beings. If one day they gain real power, where will we ordinary people have a way to survive!" She sighed after saying that.
It turns out that Ruan Meiying was originally from Geshan Village. However, because her family was poor when she was young and her parents favored boys over girls, they sold her to a brothel in the city to make a living for the family. Fortunately, the madam saw that she was young and a beauty, so she decided to train her well. She was taught to sing, dance, play the piano, and how to seduce men. Although she eventually became a prostitute, it was still much better than those prostitutes who were forced to entertain customers by the madam all day long. At least she could choose her own customers, which was much better.
Over the years, the people of Geshan Village felt that her working as a prostitute had brought shame to the village. Her parents felt guilty on one hand, and were also afraid of being looked down upon for having a daughter who had become a prostitute on the other, so they rarely mentioned her and never told anyone they knew her. Some children born in recent years didn't even know who she was. Ruan Meiying was aware of the villagers' opinions of her. She knew that her parents had no choice at the time, and she could only blame her bad luck, without resenting her family. In order not to embarrass her family, she never went back home, but would secretly send some money home every now and then. When Kaifeng Prefecture suffered a drought last time, Ruan Meiying even sent a magpie to deliver silver home.
Ruan Meiying gave Xique some silver and told her to take it to her family.
Ruan Meiying instructed, "Magpie, you must go and come back quickly. Tell my family to think of a solution as soon as possible. In case those corrupt officials target Geshan Village again, they will have a plan so that they won't be killed by others. After you tell them, come back and let me know so I won't worry. Remember that!"
Magpie nodded and said, "Magpie will remember. I will go to Geshan Village now. Please rest assured, young lady, Magpie will definitely take care of things."
Then, Magpie took the things, left the mansion, hired a carriage, and hurriedly headed towards Geshan Village.
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