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Chapter 851 Coolies and Female Workers

As they watched helplessly as a group of soldiers claiming to be from the Ningyuan Army took away the people from the Sheng Mansion, Old Madam Sheng, who had regained her composure, revealed a thoughtful expression. The Sheng family's children hid behind Old Madam Sheng in fear. Aunt Wei, who was about to give birth, looked at the old lady with a face full of worry, "Mother, what should we do?"

"It's okay! Since they are willing to leave us, the old, the weak, women and children, behind, it means that this so-called Ningyuan Army wants to conquer our Sheng family. I believe Tongpan and Changbai and the others should not be in danger of their lives." Old Mrs. Sheng was naturally very panicked. Looking at the pregnant woman and the children sobbing in fear, she could only pretend to be calm and comfort them.

"That's great! As long as we can survive, it's fine." When Aunt Wei heard that no one was in danger of death, she naturally burst into tears of joy.

"Oh! It's a pity for my poor Huaer." Although Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai were not in great danger of their lives, it was hard to say about the captured women and Sheng Hualan.

"Mother, Hualan is only going to be the maid of the commander-in-chief. I believe there should be no danger for her." After wiping the tears from her face, Aunt Wei comforted Old Lady Sheng. Of course, she knew that Old Lady Sheng loved her eldest granddaughter the most.

"Oh, let's hope so!" Old Mrs. Sheng stared at the empty door while suppressing the grief in her heart. She could probably guess what would happen to her precious granddaughter.

"Grandma, please think positively." Mrs. Fang, who was standing by, understood Grandma Sheng's worries and was just pretending to be calm in front of everyone.

"Mother Fang, Mother Qi, from now on, the Sheng family must close the door tightly and everyone should go to Shou'an Hall. No one is allowed to go out unless it's urgent." Then, Old Lady Sheng looked solemnly at the two remaining old women around her, and then gave instructions for the next arrangements at home.

"Yes! Old lady."

"Also, check how much food is left in the warehouse at home, calculate how many days it can last, and then gather it together and keep it under strict supervision."

"Yes! Old lady."

In fact, Old Lady Sheng had guessed a lot of things from the word "Ningyuan" in "Ningyuan Army", but she did not tell anyone around her. She just wanted to survive this crisis by pretending to be confused. After all, appearing too smart is not only meaningless, but also very dangerous.

But what puzzled Old Lady Sheng was why Su Ning would resort to such extreme means to retaliate against the Gu family, knowing clearly that the rebellion was doomed to fail and was undoubtedly a futile act, but this little Su Ning actually did it. She realized that the Gu family of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion must have done something against Su Ning that was infuriating to the heavens and the people. You know, rebellion would result in the government confiscating the property and exterminating the clan.

After figuring out the whole thing, Old Lady Sheng couldn't help but relate it to herself. Because Sheng Hong was not her biological son, in order not to be disliked by Sheng Hong, her adopted son, she had given up managing housework and asking about trivial matters at home early on, and quietly hid in Shou'an Hall, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. However, Sheng Hong did the stupid thing of favoring his concubine and killing his wife. The incident of Ning Yuanjun made Old Lady Sheng realize that she could not continue to hide, otherwise their Sheng family would also collapse from within.

Yangzhou is a big city located on the canal. The population living in the city is still very large. It is also a place where merchants from the Song Dynasty gather. The Ningyuan Army was busy for three days just to confiscate these wealthy families, and soon the Ningyuan Army raised a huge amount of initial funds.

In Hou'an Salt Manor, the Gu family had become completely obedient at this time. If they didn't want to be beaten here, they had to work honestly. Soon, these delicate and tender dignitaries had become pale and thin, with new and old wounds all over their hands and bodies. They had to endure heavy physical labor every day that was worse than death.

Gu Tingbing had been a playboy since he was little, raised in a honeypot. He had never experienced such brutal, high-intensity labor and hardship. He immediately collapsed in the salt pond, unable to bear the strain. This made Gu Tingbing's father, Gu Laosi, very nervous. He immediately rushed towards his unconscious son and shouted, "Tingbing? Tingbing? Wake up!"

"What's going on? Do you want to slack off?" The supervisor not far away immediately noticed the situation here, ran over and whipped Gu Laosi hard.

"Oh no! Sir, my son fainted from exhaustion. Please take him downstairs for treatment!" After enduring a whip from the saltworks supervisor, Gu Laosi grinned and looked at the ferocious supervisor to explain.

"Hmph! Trouble! If the commander hadn't ordered that no one should die in the salt farm, I would have dug a hole and buried you all long ago." The salt farm supervisor naturally noticed the unconscious Gu Tingbing and complained reluctantly.

"Sir, is your Ningyuan Army commander really called Gu Tingye?" Hearing the salt village supervisor mention the commander again, the evil-minded Gu Laosi wanted to establish a relationship with him again.

"How dare you! Do you think you can call our commander by his name?" The ferocious-looking salt farm supervisor immediately wanted to swing the whip in his hand, feeling that these idiots from Bian Jing had no memory at all.

"Sir, I am your commander's uncle, and the one who fainted is your commander's cousin. You can't treat us like this!" Seeing the whip about to fall again, Gu Laosi once again revealed his identity.

"Haha, it's such a joke that they actually tried to establish a relationship with our commander." The supervisor of the salt village was immediately amused by what Gu Laosi said, and felt that these people might really have lost their brains.

"Sir, I'm serious."

"Hmph! I think you're courting death." The supervisor immediately swung the whip in anger and lashed it hard at Gu Laosi, scolding him loudly, "You're asking for death! I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Ah, sir, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I am no longer your commander's uncle."

"Hmph! You filthy bastard! If I find out you're trying to make connections again, I'll break your legs."

"Yes! Sir, I will never dare to do that again."

"Hurry up and get back to work!" The supervisor then fiercely warned Gu Laosi, then said to the salt workers standing by, "Come on! Carry this guy to the infirmary."

"Yes, Master Overseer."

After the saltworks supervisor turned away triumphantly, two men drying salt in a corner exchanged a thoughtful glance. They were Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai, who had been brought in by the Ningyuan Army to do hard labor. Sheng Hong looked at Sheng Changbai with a puzzled expression and said, "Changbai, why are there members of the Gu family here? Could this mysterious commander not be Gu Tingye?"

"Father, it is precisely because there are people from the Gu family doing hard labor here that I am sure that it was Gu Tingye who rebelled against the court, because his relationship with the Gu family is really bad." At this time, Sheng Changbai was convinced of Su Ning's identity, because he knew clearly how much Su Ning hated the Gu family.

"Ah? But he is only fifteen years old! Where did he get such great strength to control the entire Yangzhou city overnight?" Seeing that Sheng Changbai was convinced that the traitor was Su Ning, Sheng Hong couldn't help but raise his biggest doubt.

"Father, have you forgotten about the three major salt merchants?" Sheng Changbai smiled bitterly and shook his head, once again bringing up the Yangzhou massacre not long ago.

"What? Are you saying that the three major salt merchants were also done by Gu Tingye?" He easily understood what Sheng Changbai meant, and then widened his eyes in horror. You know, the Bai family is Su Ning's maternal family.

"Hmph! Almost right." Sheng Changbai looked at Sheng Hong with certainty and nodded. Then, with a puzzled look on his face, he muttered to himself, "But what does surprise me is that Gu Tingye has already decided to join the army. Why would he suddenly start this rebellion? You know, this is a serious crime that will result in the government confiscating the property and exterminating the clan."

"Changbai, I think maybe the Gu family members know the reason." At this time, Sheng Hong also showed a thoughtful expression, and then suddenly looked at the miserable Gu Laosi and Gu Laowu on the side.

"That makes sense! We'll go over and ask secretly later."

"Okay!" Sheng Hong nodded in agreement, then became worried, "Oh! I don't know how your mother and Aunt Lin are doing now? And I don't know if Hualan has been killed by Gu Tingye?" "Father, you don't need to worry too much. Since the Ningyuan Army has allowed my grandmother and Wei Xiaoniang to stay in the Sheng family, it means that they won't do anything too extreme. If this commander is really Gu Tingye, he shouldn't hurt mother and Aunt Lin. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that Hualan may have already..."

"Ah? What should we do?" Although Sheng Changbai hesitated and did not explain clearly, Sheng Hong could still understand what Sheng Changbai meant.

"Hey! Let's take it one step at a time! Our Sheng family is really unlucky. Unfortunate things happen one after another."

Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai were worried about their families, so they were eager to know the real reason and information. Then they slowly approached the Gu family who were working obediently and asked, "Everyone, are you really from the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion Gu family?"

"Ah? No! No! We are not." The Gu family members who had been completely frightened immediately shook their heads and waved their hands desperately.

"Don't be afraid! This is my father, Sheng Hong, the current magistrate of Yangzhou." Sheng Changbai on the side suddenly pointed at Sheng Hong and introduced him, trying hard to suppress his smile.

"What? You are the relatives of Earl Zhongqin?" After hearing the true identities of Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai, the children of the Gu family finally let go of their fear.

"That's right! Why did you appear in Yangzhou? And in this Hou'an Salt Village?" Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai naturally did not have the leisure to chat with the children of the Gu family. They went straight to the point and asked the children of the Gu family in front of them.

"Ah! It's our Gu family's fault. We heard in Bianjing that the Bai family in Yangzhou was wiped out. We were worried that Gu Tingye wouldn't be able to manage such a large family business, so we went to Yangzhou to help him. We didn't expect to be arrested here just after we got off the boat at Yangzhou."

"Oh?" At this time, Sheng Hong and Sheng Changbai looked at each other thoughtfully. Of course, they would not be fooled by the words processed by the children of the Gu family. They finally knew the real reason why Gu Tingye went crazy.

It turned out that it was the Gu family who wanted to seize the Bai family's property. This made Gu Tingye, who had no way out, desperately jump over the wall. However, this would be a desperate act. The Gu family of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion was completely finished this time. You know, they didn't think that the Ningyuan Army could compete with the Song Dynasty's Tianjun. By then, the entire Gu family would definitely be killed by the angry emperor.

"Father, when the imperial army comes back, how long do you think Gu Tingye's Ningyuan Army can hold out?" After knowing the real reason, he stayed away from these greedy Gu family members, and then Sheng Changbai looked at Sheng Hong on the side with confusion and asked.

"Hmph! Gu Tingye just relied on these salt workers who knew nothing and took advantage of the fact that Yangzhou was completely unprepared to launch a sneak attack. When the imperial army comes to wipe them out, these so-called Ningyuan troops will surely collapse quickly." After all, this attack took place in the early morning when people were sleeping soundly. Naturally, Sheng Hong believed that Suning and the Ningyuan army won unfairly.

"Yeah, I think so too, but Hualan..." Sheng Changbai naturally didn't think that Su Ning's hasty and crazy behavior could have any strength, but when he thought of Sheng Hualan who was taken away and released Su Ning's maid, he once again showed a worried and melancholy expression.

"Oh! When the imperial court successfully suppresses the rebellion, we will announce to the outside world that Hualan has committed suicide, and we will simply cancel the engagement with the Earl of Zhongqin's Mansion." Sheng Hong had naturally been thinking about this matter all the time, and he just sighed and said the helpless arrangement.

"Yes! This is the only way forward." Sheng Changbai naturally had no other good ideas at this time, and could only helplessly adopt Sheng Hong's method.

In Sheng Changbai's eyes, Su Ning's behavior was crazy and extreme. It was unwise to do something knowing that it was wrong. No matter how greedy the children of the Gu family were, it was not a reason for Su Ning to rebel and bury the entire Gu family. Therefore, Sheng Changbai still found it difficult to understand Su Ning's absurd behavior, and felt ashamed of regarding Su Ning as his confidant.

At this time, Lin Qinshuang, Wang Ruofu and others were taken to a large mansion. It was obvious that this place used to belong to a wealthy businessman in Yangzhou. It was a pity that it had now become a large handicraft workshop. Many rich daughters and official wives like them were embroidering something, and many people were busy making shoes there. I heard that these finished products needed to be sold for money.

As for when they can truly gain freedom and return home, it requires their husbands to truly submit to the rule of the Ningyuan Army. As long as their families choose to serve the Ningyuan Army, their families can come here to take them home. So they all hope that their fathers and brothers can surrender quickly so that they can suffer less.

"Madam, can we still go back?" At this time, Lin Qinshuang was completely confused. Having lost Sheng Hong's protection, Lin Xiaoniang naturally had no capital to stir up trouble.

"Bitch! If you ask me, who else should I ask?" Wang Ruofu felt furious when she saw the pitiful Lin Qinshuang sitting opposite her.

"Madam, although we didn't get along in the past, the situation has become like this now. We should stick together." Faced with the tragic situation where her life was at stake, Lin Qinshuang was naturally smart enough to ease the relationship with Wang Ruofu. Even if they had to fight, they had to wait until they were out of danger.

"Madam, what Aunt Lin said makes a lot of sense. I don't know how we are going to live in the future." At this time, Wang Ruofu's personal maid, Mama Liu, also persuaded Wang Ruofu to face reality.

"Hmph! These traitors will soon be wiped out by the imperial army. Then I will naturally return to the Sheng family to be your mistress." Wang Ruofu was naturally flustered, but she still didn't want to show any weakness when facing Lin Qinshuang.

"Madam, the master and Mr. Bo still don't know what's going on." Lin Qishuang naturally knew best that Wang Ruofu was a coward, and immediately reminded Wang Ruofu with malicious intent. After all, his own son and daughter were still young and stayed in the Sheng family.

"Ah? My poor husband! My poor Changbai!" At this moment, Wang Ruofu suddenly howled in grief, as if the sky had fallen.

"Are you howling? Keep howling if you want to die! I'll beat you to death." The supervisor woman not far away immediately stopped them in a stern voice, waving the whip in her hand as vigorously as if she would hit Wang Ruofu in the face the next moment.

"Huh?" As expected, when Wang Ruofu saw the supervisor with a face full of flesh in front of her, she immediately became quiet after howling there.

"Madam, things are different now. We still need to be more patient!" Mother Liu, who was standing by, comforted the heartbroken Wang Ruofu again. She had unknowingly treated Wang Ruofu as a child.

"Wow. My Changbai. My husband." At this time, the grieving lady Wang Ruofu could only sob softly. Her aggrieved and pitiful appearance was so sad that it made people cry.

The female workers in this workshop were all women from big families in Yangzhou City. Naturally, they were infected by Wang Ruofu's pitiful crying and expression. They all thought of their own fathers and brothers and started to cry. At this time, the old women in charge of supervision were of course aware of the abnormality here. They immediately looked around angrily for something and soon focused their attention on the women of the Sheng family again.

Then, several burly overseers came over to the women of the Sheng family and dragged them all out in front of everyone's shocked and bewildered gazes. "Hmph! You filthy bastards from the Sheng family are always the ones who cause the most trouble. Drag them out and give them a good beating!"

"Ah? No! It was Madam Wang Ruofu who suffered from the plague. What does it have to do with the rest of us?" At this time, Lin Qinshuang, who was also dragged away, felt depressed and aggrieved, and immediately performed the Song Dynasty version of Dou E's Injustice.

"Hmph! Ling Qishuang, if you keep nagging me, I'll drag you to the theater to sing for money, don't you believe it?" The burly overseers were not buying Ling Qishuang's tricks. They were not the soft-hearted coward like Sheng Hong, and they immediately looked at Ling Qishuang viciously and scolded her.

"what?"

(End of this chapter)