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

After seeing Gu Tingye and the others off to the western suburban camp, Zhou Ning distributed the dark-colored cloth, scissors, and needles and thread that she had bought before leaving the city to the women.

The two women measured his body and worked together, with Old Madam Sheng and Mama Fang taking on the heavy responsibility of caring for Quan Ge'er.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, clothing making and embroidery were basic skills for young ladies from prominent families. Zhou Ning only wanted a close-fitting nightgown, which did not require patterned embroidery. Cutting and sewing was not difficult.

Wang Ruofu quickly finished cutting out one sleeve, compared it with Zhou Ning's, and then rushed back to trim it.

Half an hour later, a piece of clothing was finished. Zhou Ning tried it on and then put it away.

"Let's be patient a little longer. Once the Crown Prince's army arrives, we can return to our residence and stop worrying about the rebels coming out of the capital to arrest people," Zhou Ning said.

Wang Ruofu stepped forward and asked, "So when do you plan to rescue them?"

"Madam Sheng, calm down. We should wait until it gets dark, otherwise your clothes will be even more conspicuous," Zhou Ning said.

Wang Ruofu said urgently, "But once the Crown Prince's army attacks the city, it will be too late!"

Zhou Ning said, "I will speak to the Crown Prince about this matter, and I believe he will not dare to act rashly. The responsibility for this is too heavy; no one dares to bear it!"

Even Gu Tingye, the Demon Pill, chickened out; how dare Zhao Zongquan forcibly save the emperor?

He would never believe it, even if you beat him to death!

The city gates opened wide again, and a carriage bearing the character "Rong" (荣) drove out!

"Hey, Second Miss, there are eight carriages in the woods ahead, only one of them has a banner, it looks like it has the character 'Zhou' on it!" the coachman said with sharp eyes.

Banxin!

The identity flags hanging on the carriages of high-ranking officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty would display the official title and information about the owner, with the surname written in large characters. These flags served as proof of passage through checkpoints and also directly indicated the rank and status of the carriage owner.

"Zhou? Let's go ask him!" Rong Feiyan said.

When Zhou Ning saw that it was the Rong family's carriage and it was heading in his direction, he had the women get into the carriage and went forward to meet it, preparing to force the carriage to stop.

He is now the backbone of the Sheng and Zhou families. The women cooperated by getting into the carriage and only looked at the outside situation through the curtain.

The Rong family coachman shouted "Whoa!" and pulled the reins tight. The horse snorted heavily and stopped two meters in front of Zhou Ning.

That beast was lucky; if it had come just a meter closer, Zhou Ning would have killed it instantly!

Rong Feiyan lifted the curtain and came out, meeting Zhou Ning face to face. Seeing that the person in front of her was a perfect overlap with the masked lecher who had saved her that day, her delicate body trembled involuntarily.

It's him/her!

Zhou Ning touched his nose before admitting to Consort Rong that the aggrieved party had come looking for him.

"Do you still recognize me?" Rong Feiyan asked.

Zhou Ning shook his head and said, "How could I, a mere fifth-rank official, possibly know the Rong family's daughter?"

"No doubt about it, I can't forget your voice even for a day!" Rong Feiyan said wistfully.

Zhou Ning sighed, "Are you sure you want to say this?"

Rong Feiyan returned to the car and said, "Knock him out and get in! I know you're capable of that!"

The coachman collapsed to the ground in the next instant, and Zhou Ning got into the carriage and lowered the curtain.

"What was he doing getting into Miss Rong's carriage? He even knocked down her coachman. A man and a woman alone, riding in the same carriage? I'll have to ask him about it later." Rulan was jealous.

"Is that a girl from the Rong family? Why is he riding in the same carriage with her? Could it be related to what Consort Rong asked?" Minglan also saw it and wondered.

Old Madam Sheng said, "You've looked long enough today, haven't you seen enough yet? Your scoundrel father actually said you were his concubine. The Emperor and so many other noble ladies heard it. He's really confused."

Minglan lowered the carriage curtain and smiled, "Grandmother, do I even have a choice?"

Old Madam Sheng held her hand and said, "Even if the government bestows a marriage upon you, I will not hand you over unless you are willing. Let alone becoming someone else's concubine!"

Sheng Minglan pressed her face against the old lady's hand and said, "Grandmother, when you're with someone, in the end, you still rely on the lowest place."

Grandma Sheng asked, "The lowest point?"

Minglan said, "Yes. The lowest point of character. The lowest point of Shulan's husband, Scholar Sun, is shamelessness. The lowest point of Brother Hongwen's character is his soft heart. The lowest point of Zhou Ning's character is his universal love. Yanran told me that he truly treats his concubines and his wife equally, except when they are out, and cares for them every day. Unlike Father, who favors his concubines over his wife, even though Yanran has not given birth for three years, he is still considerate and attentive every day. Does Grandmother still remember the 60,000 strings of cash he had to live on? He knew you would never agree, but he was willing to consider his granddaughter. He planned for his granddaughter, and she planned for him in return. He took her out of the palace, so her life is now his. She really doesn't want to see the Zhou family dwindle..."

Grandma Sheng sighed, patted her head, and said, "It can only be a contract of employment. The price must be low, and he must allow you to return to the Sheng family home to see me for half a day every seven days! If he doesn't agree, I will not hand you over to him!"

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, taking a concubine required a formal contract, just like taking a wife, to clearly define the concubine's status and the boundaries of her rights. Although the concubine's status was lower than that of the principal wife, she was subject to certain legal constraints and protections. Moreover, the law strictly prohibited the promotion of a concubine to the principal wife, with violators facing two years of penal servitude. This was a lifelong contract of servitude!

Another form of concubine employment requires signing a contract with a clearly marked price. If the concubine leaves without permission before the term expires, she must repay the agreed price according to the contract. The legal term of concubine employment is three years.

This type of contract differs from a lifelong indenture. The concubine retains her status as a free person and is not a completely lowly person. The master cannot arbitrarily mistreat or damage her appearance; violations will be punished by the government!

Upon expiration, both parties may choose to renew the contract, or the concubine may leave with her private belongings and choose to marry an ordinary person.

(Wei Zhi chose the form of hiring a concubine, selling herself for three years for one string of cash, and then slowly renewing the contract.)

Grandma Sheng's concession was that she wouldn't sign a lifetime contract, but would only be hired to take a look first.

"Grandmother, I'm confident he'll agree."

......

"Don't you have anything to say to me? Have you thought about me even a little bit these past few days?" Rong Feiyan couldn't help but speak up when she saw Zhou Ning sitting silently beside her.

Zhou Ning really hadn't thought about her...

"I thought about it, but our social statuses are too different, and I'm a married man. That day when I saved you, I saw you naked, and I took advantage of your kindness to do that. Afterwards, I thought you weren't someone I should be thinking about. You deserve a duke's son like Qi Heng. I just treated it as a fleeting affair. Today, your sister came to ask me about it. I could have kept it a secret, but a man's actions are actions, so I confessed. I just didn't expect you to find me so quickly!" Zhou Ning began his performance.

Rong Feiyan said, "Thanks to you, I'm already a withered flower, what chance do I have of being matched with the Duke's heir? You already have a legal wife?"

"Yes, she's the eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Yu. Although she hasn't had any children in three years, it's because I'm still young, and the couple is very loving," Zhou Ning said.

Seeing Rong Feiyan's tears, Zhou Ning handed her his silk handkerchief and said, "What do you want? Let's make this clear first, divorce is out of the question. At most, I'll take you into my household! I only have one concubine (Wei Zhi), and she lives a more glamorous life than the wives outside. She comes and goes as she pleases, and I give her tens of thousands of taels of silver just for her living expenses. Being my concubine may not have a good reputation, but life will be much better. The decision is yours!"

Zhou Ning stopped there, saying that anyone who advised someone to become a concubine would be struck by lightning!

"If my family commits a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations, and I am awaiting death, would you still dare to take me as a concubine?" Rong Feiyan asked.

Zhou Ning said, "You mean your sister helped Prince Yan force the abdication? Actually, there's still a chance, at least you have a good chance, it all depends on what Consort Rong does!" He suddenly thought of a good way to save her!

Rong Feiyan handed him the letter, saying, "My sister told me that if I liked you, I would give this to you. But I'm already yours, so what's the point of talking about whether I like you or not? Take it and read it!"

Zhou Ning took the letter, read it, and fell silent. This was going to ruin his reputation!

That's ruthless enough to avenge his sister!

To save Sheng Changbai, I'll do it!

......