Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

Thanks to the emperor's favor, that very night an official came to the Zhou residence, accompanied Zhou Ning to Guangyuntai, and informed the madam to waive all the official procedures for Wei Zhi's redemption.

The madam had never seen anything like this before, but she was a smart woman and didn't ask any more questions, only hesitating about the price.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, it only cost 80 strings of cash to redeem an ordinary courtesan.

The most recent record of redemption was when Liu used 80 guan (a unit of currency) to redeem a prostitute named Yuexian in Yuhang.

However, Wei Zhi of Guangyuntai, as a top courtesan in Bianjing and still young, is a very good money-making machine.

The madam demanded 2000 strings of cash as ransom.

Zhou Ning took out a thousand taels of silver to settle the account with her, and then gave the eunuch ten taels of silver as tea money (hardship money). Only then did he take Wei Zhi's indenture and go upstairs to find her!

Upon seeing Zhou Ning arrive, Wei, the head of the business, took out a white coat and put it on, preparing to accompany Zhou Ning out for a stroll.

The face mask was bought and delivered by Li Tou after Zhou Ning returned to the manor in the afternoon, with the only message being that she would be there to pick her up soon.

"Sister Wei, I kept my promise to you." Zhou Ning handed her the contract of indenture.

Wei Zhi was stunned for three breaths, then took the indenture, tore it to shreds on the spot.

"etc!"

She returned to the bedside, took out the small iron box beside the bed, held it in her arms, and then pulled Zhou Ning away.

The two rushed out of Guangyuntai and boarded Litou's carriage.

"Let's go!" Wei Zhi said.

Pear Head nodded and drove the car towards the Zhou residence.

Wei Zhi put down the iron box, took off her mask, and asked, "Ning Lang, you had Li Tou bring me this mask this afternoon. I thought you wanted to take me out for a walk, but I didn't expect you to redeem me tonight. How did you manage to do that?"

She knew that the government relied on courtesans for income, and even if a courtesan met the requirements for official rank, she was often refused permission to leave the government's system because of her outstanding beauty and talent.

Although the standards for the top scholar in the Great Zhou Dynasty were high, starting from the sixth rank was already the absolute limit!

Zhou Ning confessed truthfully, saying that he had exchanged his temporary future and the emperor's favor for this opportunity, and that he would soon be sent out of the capital to serve as a county magistrate.

"Ninglang, are you confused? You are the top scholar, you should be admitted to the Hanlin Academy. If you don't have the opportunity in the future, how could you..." Wei Zhi said, tears streaming down her face, her words incoherent.

Zhou Ning wiped away her tears and smiled, "I've thought it over. Redeeming you from your servitude would be difficult even for someone of my rank, only a third-grade official. Rather than making you wait for so many years, I'd rather take this opportunity of grace to resolve it. I can slowly rise through the ranks from the eighth grade!"

In the smaller ordinary counties and lower counties of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the magistrates were selected by the Ministry of Personnel.

However, Tianchang County was a medium-sized county in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The central government dispatched officials from the capital to serve as county magistrates, with a rank of eighth grade.

Wei Zhi hugged Zhou Ning's arm and said earnestly, "Ning Lang, I've thought it over. You need to find a family that can support you so you can return to the capital sooner. I won't be your first wife anymore; I'll be your concubine. I can never repay your kindness."

He could choose to resign from his official post in the capital for his own sake!

Then I'd be willing to give up my freedom for him!

It should be understood that a concubine's life is completely dependent on her husband's family. She can be disposed of or sold at will by her husband or the legal wife, and her fate depends entirely on the attitude of her husband and the legal wife.

Only a few favored concubines could receive special treatment, such as Lady Lin of the Sheng family.

"I'm only thirteen; it's too early to be engaged. Other options won't work out, so I'll have to wait a few more years. But once everything's settled, I'll have a meal with him!"

"Hmm..."

......

The Sheng family!

Shouantang!

"Mother, save me! My husband is in trouble! The Sheng family is in trouble!" Wang Ruofu cried as she ran into the house.

Grandma Sheng scolded, "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! Speak slowly and carefully."

"Mother said it was nothing, that perhaps one of her colleagues had invited the Emperor to a banquet. But Changbai went to Princess Pingning's house to inquire and sent a servant back saying that the Emperor had lost his temper and locked up several people in the palace. If these people are locked up for ten days or half a month, won't they starve to death?" Wang Ruofu said with a worried expression.

Grandma Sheng dismissed it, scolding, "Nonsense! Even prisoners don't starve to death. Did the Princess say why?"

"No," Wang Ruofu said.

Old Madam Sheng comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. The Emperor is a kind and benevolent man. When there was no tea in the Imperial Garden, he was afraid the palace servants would be punished, so he endured it and went to the Empress's palace for tea without saying a word. Such a person wouldn't act recklessly. Besides, since the founding of this dynasty, there has never been a precedent of killing a civil official. What are you panicking about?"

"We need to see the person first, it's getting dark!" Wang Ruofu said anxiously.

"You are the mistress of the house! Now that something big is happening, you should act like the head mistress. What's the use of just panicking and crying? With the master away, there may be disaster. You should tighten the fence and guard the gate. Don't let any cats or dogs sneak in! And don't let any trouble happen to your own family, so that people can laugh at you." Old Madam Sheng scolded again.

She was actually quite satisfied with this daughter-in-law; she wasn't particularly wicked, just like a firecracker, easily set on fire.

Unable to get help and after receiving a scolding, Wang Ruofu could only lead Liu Mama back to her own Weirui Pavilion. She complained, "It's true that there's a barrier between those who aren't biologically related. Being a legal mother is too easy."

Sheng Changbai returned at this time. He came back from Zhou Ning's place and brought back new information about Sheng Hong.

It turned out that after visiting Princess Pingning's house, he remembered that Zhou Ning had also been kept in the palace that afternoon.

He sent his servant back with a message while he went to check if Zhou Ning had returned. He happened to run into the three people who had returned from Guangyuntai.

"Mother, rest assured, I just went to the Zhou family. Zhou Ning told me that he saw Father, who was locked up in a side courtyard by His Majesty, but was not punished," Sheng Changbai comforted her.

Wang Ruofu grabbed Sheng Changbai's arm and said urgently, "What do you mean by 'not being punished'? Isn't being locked up in a room punishment? Did your father have any message for us?"

Sheng Changbai shook his head and said, "Zhou Ning didn't say, so it must not be true. But he did say that the officials who were imprisoned all had children, and their children liked to talk loudly in restaurants about the imperial succession. He guessed that his third brother said something the emperor didn't like to hear. By the way, he told us not to worry, saying that Father was only imprisoned for one night and would be back tomorrow."

"He says he'll come back? What if your father doesn't come back? Fine! That little brat failed the exam and now he's trying to ruin your father! I'll sell his mother off!" Wang Ruofu was furious and was about to go to Linxi Pavilion to kidnap him.

Sheng Changbai stopped Wang Ruofu, saying, "Mother, you mustn't! This matter is still unresolved, and we don't know if our third brother has been wronged. Let's wait for Father to return before discussing it further. If he hasn't returned by tomorrow, we can then make further plans."

Wang Ruofu calmed down and realized how much her husband doted on those two vixens.

If he was truly wronged, he would certainly suffer the consequences, so he sent people to keep a close eye on Linxi Pavilion's every move!

Sheng Changbai comforted his mother and then went to Shou'an Hall to deliver the news to Old Madam Sheng and Minglan.

Back in his study, Sheng Changbai remembered what Zhou Ning had told him: he would be leaving in ten days...

"Is Pengqi worth it?"

......