My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Chapter 458 I'm Willing to Talk

They wouldn't say, and even if they had any difficulties, the second sister and the others couldn't solve them.

Gui Shan was straightforward, laughing and saying, "It's alright if you don't want to say. I'll have someone find out which family you belong to and send you back."

"No, no!" the younger one quickly waved his hand. "We're not going back. We'll be beaten to death if we go back!"

The older one spoke coldly: "Ah Xiao, why are you saying all this to them? You heard it yourself, they are all high-ranking officials, protecting each other, how could they possibly care about our lives..."

The second sister was slightly taken aback, then raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Really? So what are we doing now?"

"Do you think asking will solve the problem for us?"

The second sister said, "How do you know we can't solve it if you don't tell us?"

The older one, unable to win an argument with the younger sister, turned his face away and remained silent.

The younger one looked bewildered. After a moment's thought, she mustered her courage and said, "Sister, I want to say something."

The older sister was furious: "Ah Xiao, are you stupid? It's no use talking. They'll just beat us even harder!"

"Won't we be beaten if we don't tell? We escaped, and if we're sent back, we'll only be beaten to death. We might as well try anything, maybe this princess can really help us."

The young woman said, “My name is A-Xiao, and this is my older sister, A-Hua. We sisters are from out of town. Our parents originally had some property and wanted to come here to do some small business, but the business failed and our father died... Not only that, the people here wouldn’t let us leave. Our mother was sold to an old man on the mountain to be his wife, and she died after being tortured for less than two years. We were taken back by a family from the countryside and married to two brothers.”

"I had resigned myself to my fate, thinking that women are all like rapeseed, and that I would just have to take root and sprout wherever I land. I never expected that my brother and his parents to be such bastards. They would beat and scold us, and we had to do all the heavy work at home!"

As Ah Xiao spoke, she rolled up her sleeves and trouser legs, completely disregarding the presence of Prince Ning and his guards in front of her. Her arms and legs were covered with scars, both new and old.

Then they rolled up the sleeves and trouser legs of Ah Hua, revealing that Ah Hua had more and more serious injuries than Ah Xiao.

These injuries don't need to be examined. Prince Ning and his second sister have solved so many cases that they can tell at a glance that these injuries were caused by someone using sticks, ropes, or even knives over many years.

Ah Xiao covered her wound and said, "My sister always protects me, so her injuries are more serious than mine. Yesterday, the beating was so bad that my sister almost died, so I... I took advantage of their inattention in the middle of the night and escaped with my sister. But we were both injured, and my sister even broke her leg, so we couldn't get very far."

At this point, Ah Xiao trembled with fear and started to cry.

"That village is full of thugs. They've all banded together, and anyone who dares to run away will have their legs broken. They'll find us sooner or later, and they'll bring us back!"

Seeing that her sister had already spoken, Ahua stopped trying to stop her and said with a mournful face, "Yes, many women in the village are tied up with ropes and tied to the cowshed. They are let out to work when they are supposed to, and then tied up again after they finish working. They are worse than livestock... And several women have had their legs broken."

Her leg was also broken, but fortunately Gui Shan discovered it in time and brought her to the clinic so that the doctor could set her leg.

Once it heals, it won't have any impact.

Gui Shan couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you report it to the authorities...?"

After saying this, even she felt embarrassed. Ah Xiao's hostility towards them just now showed that they didn't trust the government at all.

Ah Xiao calmed down a bit and said, "If reporting to the authorities were useful, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation. We reported to the authorities when Father died, but no one cared about us. Later, when Mother was sold, we reported to the authorities again, but this time not only did no one care, we were all arrested."

"Furthermore, the people here are so poor that even the slightly more respectable families marry their daughters off to other places at a young age. The men here can't find wives, so they only have their eyes on outsiders. The women in the village are all tricked into coming from other places."

Hearing this, the second sister was furious: "The imperial court has cracked down so hard on trafficking in women, but I never expected that something like this would still happen. It's simply... outrageous!"

Prince Ning patted her shoulder: "It's far from here, and the government isn't very effective, so the people below will just pay lip service. But now that we're here, we won't let this continue!"

He gave instructions to the guards.

"Settle these two women in, get them treated by a specialist, and make sure they recover. Also, don't let their husbands find this place."

"Yes."

Prince Ning then said, "Madam, Miss Gui, I will handle the investigation. Please keep a close eye on these two people."

The two naturally agreed.

Upon seeing this, Ah Xiao immediately rolled off the wooden plank, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed: "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Princess! I will repay your great kindness by serving you as your servant for all eternity!"

Gui Shan quickly helped her up, had someone help them change clothes, and also ordered someone to prepare food for them.

Ah Xiao ate heartily, but Ah Hua seemed somewhat worried and not as optimistic as her younger sister.

Gui Shan was quite puzzled and asked, "The yamen has opened a women's shelter, and this kind of shelter is directly under the imperial court, with special yamen runners and guards. You didn't seek help from the yamen because you don't trust the people there, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Xiao's gaze darted away, and she first shook her head, then nodded again.

This behavior left both the second sister and Guishan somewhat bewildered.

Ahua put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "Esteemed guests, do you want to hear the truth, or are you just asking casually?"

Gui Shan said, "Since I asked, of course I want to hear the truth."

“You saved us, and I’m willing to tell you the truth, but…” Ah Hua looked at the two of them, took a deep breath, and said, “I know you are important people and you must be capable, but as the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can’t suppress a local snake. This is, after all, someone else’s territory. Even if you find out, please don’t investigate. It won’t do you much good.”

Gui Shan frowned: "You tell me."

Ahua then explained, "Before the women's shelters appeared, not all local women could escape. Many widows from respectable families, or daughters from families with a little wealth who refused to remarry, simply shaved their heads and went to Qingfeng Nunnery to become nuns."

Gui Shan nodded: "I know that too. It's not uncommon for many women to shave their heads and become nuns. However, there are certain requirements for nunneries. Not just anyone can go. Without donations, it's very difficult to become a nun."