A bamboo couch sits on the wide steps in front of the hall, along with a small square tea table, and is solemnly decorated. The courtyard floor is covered with cool blue bricks, and even if the sun shines, it still looks a little cold.

A large group of maids all stood in the courtyard, their skirts and hairpins were green, and they were full of dazzling colors, carefully moving their steps, standing in four rows before and after. The appearance and image of the women are very different, with different expressions on their faces, panicked, dazed, and curious, all waiting for the grandmother and aunt in charge to choose someone to appear.

The mothers-in-law didn't let them make a sound, and the maids each lowered their heads, not knowing what they were thinking. Zi Ning quietly looked at the people standing in this courtyard, and there were eighty or ninety maids full of them. Although there were a large number of people, they did not make a sound, and the atmosphere in the courtyard was almost breathless.

The older maids knew a lot, and their faces were terrified, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in the slaughterhouse, and their bodies trembled. They bit their lips tightly, and their eyes were mostly panicked, not knowing what the future holds, nor how long their lives will last.

Zi Ning couldn't help but feel sad in her heart, it was unfortunate to be a daughter's family, but she was the lowest level of rough maid status, and if she said that she would sell herself, she would sell herself. If it is really like a floating duckweed, like the verdant green in the pond, clinging to the stump branches and leaves, there is no good day to look forward to, so you can only let the water drift, drift as far as you want.

It didn't take long for an aunt in charge to appear in front of the maids. In his thirties, his hair is combed smoothly and neatly, and he looks calm and relaxed. She sat down on the wide couch, raised her hand to smooth the folds in front of her robe, and scanned them with a pair of thin eyes.

Immediately, a maid brought freshly brewed flower leaf tea, Ligu held the teacup in her hand, lifted the heat with the lid, looked at it for a long time, and then said slowly: "This time I summoned you, because our palace wants to choose ten concubines for Master Su." ”

As soon as the words fell, the women were already surprised, turned their heads and chattered in a whisper. Zi Ning sighed in her heart, bad things always work like this, and she really wants to choose them as concubines to give away.

She stood in the third row, separated by two rows of maids in front. Raised his head and looked carefully at the aunt in charge on the wide couch chair, he only felt very familiar, and then looked at it, and he was scared into a cold sweat, it was actually the first person in charge of the palace.

It was this Ligu that day, who wronged Zining's mother and daughter for poisoning the county lord, and ordered someone to impose a heavy punishment, and she also crossed over here by chance. If it weren't for the eldest princess's sudden rescue and finally clearing her mother's and daughter's grievances, even if she didn't die now, I am afraid that she would have been taken into the dungeon as a suspect, and she would have to lose several layers of skin if she suffered and suffered.

The eldest princess settled the matter, and scolded Ligu afterwards, and the matter spread all over the house, which made Ligu lose face, and she had already hated Zining in her heart.

If it weren't for Zi Ning hiding in the county lord's clothes box and eavesdropping on the day it rained, she wouldn't know how disgusted Ligu was, as if she wanted to kill her immediately.

Aunt Li was dissatisfied in her heart, and she didn't dare to have any objections and disrespect to the eldest princess, these jealousies must be counted on Zining's mother and daughter, if there is a suitable opportunity, she will not let them go easily. If it weren't for the majesty of the eldest princess, maybe they would have been skinned and deboned.

Zi Ning secretly took a breath of cold air, thinking: "Now that it has fallen into her hands, eighty percent of them will have revenge, if they don't take the opportunity to put me to death, how can she be willing!" Thinking in her heart, she hurriedly hid behind the women and quietly lowered her head, lest she be seen by Aunt Li.

Green Ring thought she was scared, and she was a little overwhelmed, so she couldn't help but shrink back, unwilling to be chosen by her aunt in charge. Fortunately, only ten people were selected, and there were nearly 100 of them, so they did not necessarily choose the two of them.

Zi Ning whispered: "Let's resist together, we don't want to be concubines, and we can't do it if we want to come." As the saying goes, the law does not blame the public, everyone makes trouble together, and no one obeys, maybe the matter of choosing a concubine will be over. ”

When the maid next to her heard her say this, she couldn't help but turn her head, and opened her eyes to look at her with a pale face, and the green ring was so frightened that she held her hand tightly, and said in a low voice: "Ning'er, are you crazy, even the aunt in charge dares to resist, but you are going to die!" said that the palm of his hand was horizontal on his neck, and he made a gesture of cutting off his head, "If you don't cut off your head, you will be beaten to death with a stick, you don't talk nonsense." ”

Seeing that she was serious, Zi Ning thought that maybe there was really such a thing, and she couldn't help but feel numb on her scalp, are the rules of this Great Jin Kingdom set for the maids, and they will be beaten to death with sticks at every turn, and they have no sense of security at all.

Suddenly, I understood why Luhuan always showed a sincere and fearful expression, being an inferior and rough little girl, her life was not in her hands, and the master wanted to fight or kill, and she could only resign herself to fate. I don't know if I will die or live in the next moment, this kind of life is really miserable.

Ligu said about choosing a concubine, and some of the maids still didn't know what a concubine was, and when they saw that others were flustered, they all turned their heads and asked each other, "What is the concubine going to do?"

A casual little maid innocently asked, "Does the maid want to do the laundry, or help someone take care of the children?"

I asked and asked, but no one would explain clearly. They gradually felt that things were not good, and the young maid looked uneasy, and gradually her face turned red, and she couldn't help crying, whimpering: "I don't want to be a ...... girl"

When he boarded, all the maids cried and sighed, stomped their feet and wailed, their faces full of misery, and their fists were grieved and angry. Zi Ning was even more upset by these maids, and her thoughts were entangled like a curl of hemp. She was more worried than others, in addition to choosing whether to choose a concubine, she also had to plan how to get rid of Ligu's clutches.

There was a mess in my mind, and I heard someone shout: "Aunt Yu, the slave and maid have been engaged since childhood, and they can't choose a maid ......" A maid in colorful clothes rushed out of the crowd, the silver steps inserted in the bun swayed, and she knelt down in front of Ligu.

The irritated voices of the girls gradually subsided, and they all stared at this maid in a daze, and secretly pinched a cold sweat for her. The low-level maids at the outer gate of the palace are all sold themselves, how dare they get married privately, that is a big sin of deception. This maid is also bold, she dares to say it in front of her aunt, don't you want her life?

Ligu took a sip of hot tea, raised her eyes, and ordered, "Raise your head and take a look." ”

The maid hesitated, propped herself on the ground with both hands, and slowly raised her head, her big eyes full of horror, and her chin trembling slightly.

When Zi Ning saw her like this, she secretly screamed in her heart that it was not good, Aunt Li would definitely not be gracious and let this maid go back easily.

"Hmm. Ligu snorted in her nose, closed the lid of the teacup, touched the gilded and emerald patterns on the teacup with her fingers, and said in a flat voice: "This appearance is acceptable, and it is still peugeot." ”

After a pause, he said, "You are a slave who sells yourself on the books, and the major affairs of your life are all decided by the master, and whoever points you out is whoever you are." If the master does not marry you, you will not be allowed to marry for life, even if you are old and dead in the house, you have to obey. You little, did you eat the gall of a leopard, and dare to say that you have made a family affair privately? If I report to the housekeeper in the house, your family's life will not be saved! ”

After that, she raised her hand slightly, and Mama Qing, who was standing behind her, cleared her throat and said, "Choose this girl, keep a book and prepare a contract!" Immediately, a mother-in-law brought a booklet and drew circles on it with a pen dipped in ink.

When the maid saw it, she immediately kowtowed again and again, and cried: "Yan'er begged her aunt for mercy, and took pity on our lovers." If I choose a wife, Huan Lang and he will definitely die alone, and I will not live to live...... Why do you want us to be separated from life and death?" crying silently, all the women were shocked and sighed, and all their eyes looked at Ligu.

"Presumptuous!" Aunt Li raised her hand and slapped the tea table, and stood up suddenly, "As a traitor in the palace, you dare to secretly have an affair with a man! If you don't choose a concubine, and you don't know that there is a little slut like you hidden in the mansion, you should be pulled out and beaten to death, so as not to ruin the style of the palace." ”

This burst of angry scolding was as sharp as a knife, and Yan'er was so frightened that she was paralyzed, and she immediately held her breath, and she didn't even dare to cry. All the women were also silent, knowing the rules and family laws of the palace, if there were male and female slaves who gave and received each other privately, they had to be condemned to death, and they had to drag down the families on both sides.

Zi Ning was so shocked that her heart almost jumped to her throat, she was worried about Yan'er, but she was also afraid that Ligu would get up and see her. Hurriedly lowered his head, tightly shrunk his shoulders, and half of his body tried his best to hide back, trying to hide behind the maid in front of him to block her figure.

Seeing her like this, Luhuan thought she was frightened, squeezed her hand tightly, and comforted her with a trembling voice: "Ning'er, with me with you, don't be afraid." After saying this, I only felt that my legs were trembling, and I was about to cry.

At this time, the old face of Mama Qing next to her showed her face and said with a smile: "Aunt Li, don't be angry, we are here to choose a concubine, and the door style of the palace has its own housekeeper to worry about." The old man saw that the eyebrows and eyes of this smoke were still clean, even if he had some selfish intentions, he would not cross the line. After choosing a woman, she is well restrained and trained, and she is also a Peugeot beauty. If you kill her because of this, the palace will choose some broad-headed and rough-faced ones, and it will not look good to send them out. ”

Another mother-in-law also smiled and said: "What Mama said is that the choice of a maid is to give favors as a gift, if you send some stupid and dull girls with ugly appearances, not only will the palace have no face, but even Lord Su will not be welcome." Maybe you have to complain that the prince deliberately got some ugly girls, and the congratulatory gifts can't be made, and you have to let Master Su spend rations to feed them. ”

Aunt Li lowered her forehead, slowly sat back in the couch chair, and said indifferently: "What Mama said is reasonable, so let's do it." Take her down for a physical examination, if it is clean, it is fine, if there is something wrong, she will be beaten to death with a stick on the spot!" The two fierce mothers-in-law immediately stepped forward and dragged the cigarette up from the ground, no matter how she cried, and dragged her to the wing room on the east side of the courtyard to verify her identity.

This formation was amazing, and the maids had never seen it, so frightened that they all changed their faces and shed cold sweat. Zi Ning's heart was beating wildly, seeing that this Ligu was so ruthless, she would have to choose carefully after a while, and she couldn't hide from it.

Luhuan secretly pulled her and asked in a panic, "Ning'er, what should we do?"

Zi Ning gritted her silver teeth and thought, "You can't just accept your fate. She quietly looked up left and right, such a large palace, the south, the south, the west and the northwest could not be distinguished, how could she run away? ————