Chapter 627 Meeting Madam He Again
"Oh my, so you're getting angry now?"
The woman did not change her expression because of the old woman's harsh words; instead, her smile became even more alluring.
"Young ladies, don't believe this old woman's nonsense and go with her to see some lady. If you have nowhere to go, you can come to my Xiang Le Fang. I will definitely make you the top courtesan in Suzhou."
Upon hearing the woman's words, Gu Shuyan understood.
No wonder this woman exuded a seductive charm the moment she appeared; it turns out she's a madam of a brothel!
However, thanks to the appearance of this woman, she was able to confirm that the person who took those people away was He Biyou's wife, who was also her great-aunt.
"Pah, you shameless vixen! It's one thing for you to shamelessly seek out men everywhere, but you also encourage people to go to your filthy place and seduce men like you. Now you're even going after two young girls. Aren't you afraid of getting your comeuppance?"
As a respectable woman from a respectable family, the old woman naturally disapproved of the seductive vixens in brothels.
Moreover, the current situation involves competing with her for the man, and the old woman is not going to let it go.
Hearing the old woman's insults, the woman wasn't angry. She just covered her mouth and sneered, "Retribution? None of you have suffered any retribution, so why should I? I'm waiting to see what happens to you!"
After speaking, the woman looked at Gu Shuyan and Yu Fei beside her and said in a soft voice, "Little sisters, you should go back quickly! Don't go with this heartless old woman, or you will regret it."
Gu Shuyan appreciated the woman's kindness, but since there was something fishy going on, how could she possibly refuse?
"Thank you, sister, but I believe this aunt wouldn't lie to us."
Gu Shuyan flashed a friendly smile at the woman, revealing her bright white teeth. The woman was momentarily stunned by her moon-like smile, and for a second she thought she had seen that person.
How long has it been since that person left, and no one has smiled at her like that? It seems like ten years!
While the woman was still stunned, the old woman had already left triumphantly with Gu Shuyan and the other woman. By the time the woman realized what was happening and tried to stop her, it was too late.
Gu Shuyan happily followed the old woman into the crowd. She tried to talk to the women, but they all looked ashen-faced and ignored her completely.
Seeing this strange situation, Gu Shuyan suddenly became alert.
"Do these women know what situation they are facing?"
Gu Shuyan couldn't help but guess that otherwise, why would they look so grief-stricken?
"Yufei, be careful when we get there," Gu Shuyan whispered a reminder.
Yufei immediately nodded. In fact, he had felt that these people were not right from the beginning, and the conversation between the madam and the old woman made him think that the prefect's wife was probably doing something really heinous.
The two followed the crowd and soon arrived at the place where the officials' wives were. Madam He had obviously been waiting for a long time.
Gu Shuyan followed behind the crowd and glanced sideways. Madam He seemed to be younger and had a better figure than when she had seen her in the capital.
Was it just her imagination? Gu Shuyan couldn't help but wonder. Otherwise, no matter how well a woman over fifty takes care of herself, she couldn't possibly become younger and younger!
"What are you looking at? Behave yourself."
The old woman beside her noticed that Gu Shuyan kept glancing at Madam He, so she couldn't help but warn her.
Gu Shuyan quickly looked away and lowered her head, pretending to be a quail.
When Madam He saw the old woman bring the person back, a smile finally appeared on her usually composed face.
"How many are there this time?" Mrs. He asked.
The old woman glanced at everyone, including Gu Shuyan and her servant, and replied, "Twenty-one in total."
"Twenty-one should be enough for a while."
As Madam He spoke, she raised her hand, and someone immediately came forward to help her back to the tent.
Seeing this, the old woman gave a wink to the people behind her, and Gu Shuyan and her servants, along with everyone else, were led to a small tent on the side.
The tent was very small, so small that more than twenty people could only squeeze together to sit. Two old women guarded the outside of the tent, seemingly afraid that someone would escape.
Finally, when only a group of girls remained, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl started to cry.
When one person cries, others are overcome with grief and can't help but start wiping away their own tears.
Seeing this, Gu Shuyan carefully moved to the side of the girl who was crying first and handed her her handkerchief.
To make things easier today, Gu Shuyan and Yu Fei specially changed into the new clothes that were delivered to the disaster victims, but the handkerchief was one that Gu Shuyan had used before.
The woman touched the soft silk fabric and, with her head bowed, involuntarily looked up. Although she had never worn clothes made of fine materials, she had seen this kind of silk fabric in a cloth shop before, where it was said that a bolt of it cost several tens of taels of silver.
At that time, the girl thought that she might never be able to touch such a piece of cloth in her entire life! But unexpectedly, in her most desperate moment, she touched it with her own hands for the first time, and she could even use it to wipe away her tears.
She turned to look at Gu Shuyan, and as she gazed at Gu Shuyan's delicate skin, the girl seemed to have a certain guess in her heart. However, just as she was about to ask something, Gu Shuyan quickly stopped her.
Why are you crying?
Gu Shuyan's voice was very soft, so soft that only the girl next to her could hear it amidst the constant sobbing.
The girl met Gu Shuyan's gaze; her eyes were very bright, as if they could illuminate her own heart.
“I was about to get married. My mother arranged for me to marry my cousin from the next village. The wedding was set for the end of this year. But then an earthquake struck Suzhou, and I got separated from my family. I don’t know what happened to my cousin. I was hoping to find him and then get married this year. But now, I can no longer marry him.”
The girl started crying again as she spoke, and the entire handkerchief was soaked with her tears, but she still couldn't stop.
"Why can't I add it to your cousin's account now?"
Gu Shuyan looked at the girl with the curiosity of a doll, and the girl slowly stopped crying and looked over.
"Because, because the prefect's wife is a monster."
Upon hearing this, Gu Shuyan and Yu Fei exchanged a glance. Then, Gu Shuyan asked the girl about the origin of the story that the prefect's wife was a monster.
According to the girls, they didn't actually know what would happen to them next.
However, the girls who were brought to the mansion would stay there for two or three months, and their families would receive a small sum of money after they were sent away.
As for those girls, they first went crazy and talked nonsense, then became silent and taciturn, and later took advantage of their families' inattention to attempt suicide in various ways.
When the girls who attempted suicide were rescued, they all screamed and fainted on the spot when asked what had happened at the He residence.
Whether they were dead or alive, they all kept repeating the same sentence at the beginning: "The prefect's wife is a monster."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
