Chapter 38: The Vile Old Society

Fusu took a stroll around the area.

He found the people there sallow, emaciated, and suffering from severe malnutrition; not a single one was pleasant to look at. Let alone finding a few attractive maids, he couldn't even find anyone who was remotely presentable. Fusu couldn't help but sigh, "The evils of this old society!"

"If one day I, this Prince, come into power, I will certainly abolish this system!"

Wang Ruonan seemed to hear Fusu’s muttering and looked over with a hint of surprise, asking, "You think they are miserable too?"

Fusu shook his head immediately, saying, "No! It is not they who are miserable, but this world itself!"

Wang Ruonan could not stand Fusu’s habit of pointing fingers and criticizing everything. She snorted coldly and said, "Do you have any idea how much back-breaking labor a farmer must endure just to feed a family? How long these women must toil just to keep from starving?"

Having said this, Wang Ruonan shook her head, adding, "As a prince who stays home all day, idling about, how could you possibly understand the suffering of these people?"

Fusu looked at Wang Ruonan in surprise. *I don't understand, but you do? Aren't you someone who was pampered and waited upon since childhood?*

Wang Ruonan seemed to perceive Fusu's inner thoughts but said nothing more. Instead, she began to select a few maids.

Fusu did not know that before the age of thirteen, Wang Ruonan was a restless soul. She had often followed the farmers on their estate to work in the fields and had spent plenty of time working alongside various women. Of course, Wang Ruonan’s primary hobby was martial arts. Perhaps because she was always out and had grown a bit wild, Wang Ben, seeing that this was not a proper way for a young lady to behave, consulted with Madam Zheng and Wang Jian. After the family discussed it, they placed Wang Ruonan under house arrest for the past few years, beginning to cultivate the virtues expected of a young lady and teaching her court etiquette and rules.

Thus, Wang Ruonan was well aware of how miserable these people were. She often felt fortunate to have been born into the Wang family and to have grown up in such a privileged environment. The more she realized this, the more she sympathized with them.

Consequently, she pointed to a girl who was shockingly thin and said, "You, come over here!"

Then, Wang Ruonan looked at a dirty girl who walked with a limp and said, "You, come over here too!"

"And you!" Wang Ruonan pointed to a girl who had a birthmark covering half her face...

Watching this, Fusu subconsciously wanted to intervene. However, the words reached his lips, and he said nothing.

*Damn it!* If he had known, he wouldn't have bothered replacing the maids in his manor. These new choices were even worse than the previous ones. Fusu was speechless.

However, Fusu truly had no other options; there was simply no one here who caught his eye, especially among the guards!

Bai Shao seemed to sense Fusu’s thoughts. He gestured and summoned a merchant. The merchant, flashing his yellow teeth, asked with a grin, "Noble sir, what can I do for you?"

Bai Shao slipped him some small pieces of silver and said, "Our master has just moved into the city and wants to select a group of guards and maids. Do you have any better recommendations?"

The merchant looked at Bai Shao’s attire and revealed a look of disdain. However, when his eyes fell upon Wang Ruonan and her companions, they lit up: "Yes, yes! A new batch of slaves from the Baiyue region has just arrived. Would you like to go take a look?"

Upon hearing "Baiyue region," Bai Shao frowned and asked, "Are they prisoners of war?"

The merchant shook his head immediately: "No, no! How would we dare to sell prisoners of war privately? These are just refugees collected from the Baiyue region!"

Bai Shao breathed a sigh of relief. The conquest of Baiyue had only just concluded; he hadn't expected that people from that region would already be sold here.

Fusu seemed quite interested and immediately urged, "Let’s go take a look."

And so, the group passed through the chaotic crowd in the front and arrived at a simple, relatively clean grass shed in the back. As soon as Fusu entered, he was met with many wary gazes. These people, both men and women, all wore cold expressions. As they looked at Fusu, a trace of hidden hostility flickered in their eyes.

The group was divided into two clusters: one consisting of sturdy, fit youths, and another of girls of various heights, weights, and appearances. Seeing them, Fusu finally revealed a look of satisfaction. *Now this is more like it!*

"Ding!"

"Congratulations to the host for triggering a side quest: Purchase this group of Baiyue slaves. Reward: A set of Special Forces Training Manuals!"

"If you do not purchase this group of Baiyue slaves, the reward will be: A complete set of Masteries in the Art of Governing Men!"

"Host, please make your choice immediately!"

Fusu’s eyes brightened; he didn't hesitate at all. "Bai Shao, count the number of people and verify their backgrounds. If there are no issues, buy them all." Fusu made the final decision.

Bai Shao nodded immediately. Just as Wang Ruonan was about to say something, an arrogant voice rang out: "Qian Gou!"

"Are you truly tired of living? You dare to sell the people I have set my eyes on?"

A young man dressed in rich, embroidered silks walked in. He glanced at Fusu and the others, then added with a malicious look, "You lot can leave now. These people were reserved by me."

Beside this young man, a man who bore a striking resemblance to Zhao Gao paused when he saw Fusu and his group. The next second, a look of wild joy erupted in his eyes. *Prince Fusu!!!* And that must be Wang Jian’s granddaughter, Wang Ruonan!

This man was Zhao Cheng, the younger brother of Zhao Gao. Having visited his brother in the palace many times in his youth, he had seen Fusu once before. Fusu, however, had long since forgotten him.

Bai Shao whispered an introduction: "That is Feng Ji, the son of the Imperial Censor Feng Jie, and the other is Zhao Gao’s brother, Zhao Cheng!"

*Imperial Censor Feng Jie...* Fusu narrowed his eyes and looked at the arrogant young man. The youth, however, merely swept his gaze over Fusu and focused all his attention on Wang Ruonan and the other girls.

His eyes lit up: "Oh! Not bad!"

"Which family are you ladies from? Why would you come here to select slaves yourselves?" Feng Ji clearly had his eyes on Wang Ruonan and the others, and he walked over with a smile, intending to strike up a conversation.

Qian Gou’s face twitched. He blocked their path with a forced smile and said, "Young Master Feng, enough! I still have business to attend to! The price you offered was too low; our boss said we cannot sell them to you!"

Feng Ji’s expression darkened. He raised his hand and slapped Qian Gou across the face: "You lowly slave, you dare to block my path?"

*Bang!* Feng Ji kicked Qian Gou as well.

Wang Ruonan watched this, chanting to herself internally: *Mother said to be demure, demure, demure...*

Zhao Cheng watched the scene, not only making no move to intervene but actually stepping back. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If Feng Ji provoked Fusu, it would certainly serve his brother’s plans... It was truly heaven-sent!

"My lady..." After hitting Qian Gou, Feng Ji moved to approach again.

Fusu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother, what are you doing?"

"Who is your brother!" Feng Ji shoved Fusu’s hand away. He glared viciously at Fusu and said, "I am speaking to your master; is there any room for a servant like you to interrupt?"