There was absolutely no coercion involved in coming to Prince Yong's mansion as a concubine. Prince Yong's mansion is full of beautiful women, and His Highness Prince Yong is not a lecherous man, so how could there be any coercion?
They're just a bunch of greedy people, or maybe spies sent by the Beppu. Spies are one thing, at least they earn their living through their skills. But those who crave wealth and status are even more despicable.
It's not shameful to covet wealth and status, but it's a different story to be eager to become someone's concubine. Even if you resort to any means to seize it by force, it's still a matter of earning a living through your own abilities.
In this world, it's honorable to earn a living through your own abilities. How long can you sell meat?
In early spring, having nothing to do, she often went to Bi Qiao to chat. In addition, after Zhao Shu's "second death", she now looked down on women who were eager to become concubines. Following Zhao Shu's advice, she became even more arrogant and domineering towards the concubines, as if she had inherited the true teachings of Granny Guo.
The aunts watched as the villagers in the fields harvested the ripe rice and laid it on the ridges. It was lunchtime, yet they were still working hard. Some looked at them with disdain, some with pity, and some with indifference.
"What? You concubines, you don't want to?" Chu Chun said coldly.
One of the concubines retorted angrily, "Aunt Chuchun, you must remember our status. Although we are not the mistress, we are still proper concubines of the prince. How can we take off our shoes and roll up our sleeves in front of men?"
"So you know you're a lowly concubine?" Chu Chun glared at her and said mockingly, "A concubine can be given away, sold, or exchanged. What kind of virtuous woman do you think you are? If you don't want to work in the fields, that's fine too. If you don't want to live in the capital, then give me your names, and tomorrow I'll send you to the remote mountains to live your secluded and elegant lives, so refined and otherworldly."
There are also farm women working in the fields. They don't have fancy clothes, exquisite hair ornaments, or the finest cosmetics. Their skin is rough and aged from hard work, and their hands are calloused, comparable to a man's.
Hearing Chu Chun's words, I felt a lump in my throat. At first, I envied the concubines' luxurious clothes and food, but now I am just like Chu Chun, a woman who can be given away, sold, or exchanged. What is there to envy? No matter how much luxury I have, I can't buy respect, peace of mind, or a stable life. How long can I sell my body?
Unlike the women, the men felt a little sorry for the delicate beauty, but dared not say anything. Chu Chun was clearly not someone to be trifled with, and there were also soldiers with knives and wearing armor.
Early spring took in the men's expressions and snorted coldly, thinking that the most useless men were those who dared not speak out against their anger.
The concubines dared not disbelieve this. Chu Chun was the princess's confidante, and her words were the princess's words. If they dared not listen, they would really be sold to the frontier. They had heard that the people on the frontier were so poor that they even ate human flesh. With their looks, wouldn't they be tortured to death if they went to the frontier?
The thought of those barbaric men possibly taking advantage of them sent chills down her spine.
"What? You want to spend the rest of your life on the frontier?" Chu Chun asked again.
Some of the concubines, unwilling to suffer on the frontier, tremblingly took off their shoes, dragging their beautiful clothes as they staggered and fell in the fields, looking completely lost.
Seeing the expressions on her concubines' faces, as if the whole world had wronged her, Chu Chun didn't want to look anymore. She said to the peasant women in the field, "Sister-in-law, give the knife to the concubines. You can supervise them. If you supervise them well, you will be rewarded."
The peasant woman watched as one beautiful woman after another went down to the fields, and she didn't know what to feel. Her gaze went across the fields to the place where people were gathered at the village entrance. There's always trouble in wealthy families.
Several children and elderly people were invited to stand in front of Zhao Shu. The children were very young, just learning to walk and still babbling. The elderly people were also very old, all hunched over.
No one knows what Green Ivy said to them, but when they came to Zhao Shu, the old woman pulled the child and tried to kneel down to pay her respects. Zhao Shu quickly waved her hand and said, "Grandma, no, no, please sit down."
When Zhao Shu went out, she naturally brought a small table and stools. Xiao Guozi and the others hurriedly set up the small table and stools they brought and sat down around Zhao Shu. The old people and children sat down. The children were fine, but the old people were all experienced in the ways of the world. The noble people were the most likely to cause the deaths of millions in a fit of anger, so they were very uneasy.
Zhao Shu noticed their fear and smiled gently, "Grandmas, don't be afraid. I've brought people here today to help the villagers with their work."
After saying that, he said to Green Ivy, "Go and bring all the pastries from the car and give them to the children."
Her gaze fell on the children, each one timid yet unable to resist secretly observing her. The girls looked at her clothes, jewelry, and hairpins, while the boys stared at the tea and snacks in front of them, constantly swallowing their saliva.
Green Ivy ran nimbly and quickly took all the pastries off the carriage. Little Guozi glanced at her sideways and thought, "They've all been taken. What will the princess eat later?"
Zhao Shu did not blame Green Ivy. She personally handed the pastries to the child, saying, "Here, this is mung bean cake. Eat slowly, don't choke."
The child wanted to reach out but hesitated. Finally, he looked at the old man beside him, swallowed hard, and finally couldn't resist the temptation. He took the food, bit into it, and a happy smile immediately appeared on his face.
Children's smiles are the most innocent and adorable, which infected Zhao Shu, and she smiled along with them, saying to Green Ivy, "Let's divide the pastries."
Green Ivy felt that the princess was exceptionally kind today, like a bodhisattva, completely unlike her usual self, although she would never admit that the princess was actually quite like a smiling tiger in the past.
She skipped and hopped as she distributed the pastries to the elderly and children. There were still several pieces left. The children ate some, but their eyes were fixed on the remaining pastries. Zhao Shu handed over the rest, saying, "Here you go."
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