Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 1021 - 1023: The Enthronement of the Prince (8)

Chapter 1021: Chapter 1023: The Enthronement of the Prince (8)

"Ah, okay!"

The old man happily served a bowl of porridge, placing it in front of the little girl.

The elderly couple both looked at the girl who was wolfing down her food with affection, their gaze moving across the scars on the girl’s face, and they couldn’t help but show a pained expression. However, neither of them mentioned the child’s injuries, only advising, "Eat slowly, careful not to choke..."

The little girl wolfed down her food, speaking indistinctly as she ate, "I have to... eat quickly, if I return late... Aunt Qiu Hong will beat me..."

A pang of distress flitted through the old couple’s eyes. After a moment of thought, the old grandma hurried on her small feet to the steamer, wrapped two big meat buns in oil paper, and placed them beside the girl’s table.

Girl, when you go back, give these two buns to Aunt Qiu Hong, so she won’t always beat you.

The girl swallowed a mouthful of porridge and said, "Grandma, please put them away, Aunt Qiu Hong doesn’t care for our house’s buns, the ones I took her last time, she fed to the dogs..."

The old grandma sadly bowed her head, while the old man let out a long sigh, remaining silent. The little girl quickly finished her meal, said, "Grandpa, Grandma, I’m leaving," and then took off running.

The elderly couple’s eyes followed the direction in which the little girl disappeared until she was out of sight, slowly retracting their gaze with dejected expressions.

The girl who had just left was clearly the granddaughter of these two elderly folk, but why would their granddaughter be in a brothel? They seemed like kindly old folks, certainly not the type who would sell their granddaughter!

Now, as there weren’t many people at the stall, Cai Wei started chatting with the elderly couple.

Through their conversation, she learned the truth of the matter.

It turned out that the old couple were extremely unfortunate. Their only son had gone alone to Kalun Mountain, at the border of Meng slaves and Great Jin, to pick medicine for his sick father, only to be eaten by wild beasts on the mountain. When their son died, their daughter-in-law was still young and didn’t want to stay, so she went back to her parents’ house. The elders were understanding; since the daughter-in-law didn’t want to stay, they didn’t force her and let her go home.

However, years later, they suddenly learned that after their daughter-in-law had returned to her parents’ house, she had given birth to a daughter—their little granddaughter.

The daughter-in-law died during childbirth, and their granddaughter was raised by the mother-in-law. Later, after the mother-in-law passed away, the granddaughter’s uncle and aunt, who were ruthless, sold the seven-year-old girl to a brothel for silver.

After learning this news, the elders rushed to the brothel to redeem their granddaughter, but the brothel keeper was asking for fifty taels—the price they had received for her was only ten taels originally, and they were told no less would be accepted.

The child was still young and not yet of age to receive customers. She was just a maid in the brothel, subject to beatings and scoldings. However, by the time she turned thirteen, she would inevitably face the fate of serving customers.

Desperate to save the sole surviving offspring of their son, the elderly couple worked from dawn to dusk, setting up a stall and making money, in hopes of quickly amassing enough silver for their granddaughter’s redemption. They deliberately placed their stall right in front of the brothel where their granddaughter was sold. In this way, they could run their business while catching glimpses of their granddaughter from time to time.

To prevent their granddaughter from being beaten and mistreated in the brothel, the old couple had often been extorted by the brothel keeper and her henchmen. Thus, two years had passed, and they had only saved a little over twenty taels of silver.

However, according to the elderly couple, with the rate at which they were earning money, in another two or three years, they would be able to bring their granddaughter back home.

Cai Wei didn’t see it the same way. The elders’ granddaughter was probably nine years old now, and in two or three years, she would be twelve. At twelve, in the eyes of some perverted clients, she would be just like a budding flower, perfect for plucking. By then, the brothel keeper would never agree to let the couple redeem the girl they had raised into a cash cow for a mere fifty taels!

After finishing her meal, Cai Wei said, "Second Elder, how about you accompany me to the brothel where your granddaughter is, and I’ll help you redeem her."

The elderly couple, upon hearing this, said in astonishment, "Girl, what... did you say?"

Cai Wei smiled and repeated her offer. The two old people listened, their eyes brimming with tears of excitement, the old grandma repeatedly murmuring blessings, "Girl, you truly are a kind-hearted person, may Buddha bless you!"

The old man was so moved that his lips quivered as he said haltingly, "The silver... for the redemption... we’ll remember and... when we’ve saved... enough, we’ll... pay you back..."

Cai Wei’s insistence on going personally to the brothel wasn’t just to help the elderly couple redeem their granddaughter; she also had a business proposition for the brothel keeper—a proposition of the carnal kind!