CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 156: BAD HABITS (PART 2)

What Child Tower!

It’s clearly a Daughter Tower!

Chen Jinyu was trembling with rage, her eyes almost spitting fire.

Jiang Shaohua was equally angry inside, but her face quickly calmed down, and she said mildly, "This child has met with me, the Commandery Princess. It can be considered that she is fated with me. Since you abandon her, I, the Commandery Princess, will buy her."

At the mention of the words Commandery Princess, the old woman went limp again, collapsing like a puddle of mud.

The man cried and kowtowed as he said, "Thank you, Commandery Princess, for saving Little Six’s life. It is not that I don’t cherish the children, but I simply cannot afford to raise so many. It’s all because I’m a useless father!"

Even though the courtyard was made of dirt, he kowtowed so hard that his forehead turned red.

The woman holding her daughter tightly, with tears in her eyes, joined in kowtowing, saying, "Thank you, Commandery Princess!"

Jiang Shaohua suppressed the heartache and continued, "Little Six has just been born and needs someone to care for her. You are Little Six’s biological mother, so the responsibility is yours. I will give instructions to ensure that each month, some grain is delivered for Little Six’s sustenance. When she turns eight, she will enter the Prince Mansion to learn proper conduct and serve."

The woman never imagined that Little Six could stay by her side and was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement that she couldn’t speak, only able to kowtow repeatedly.

Chen Jinyu wiped her eyes with her sleeve and stepped forward to help the woman up. "You’ve just given birth, and your body is weak, plus you’re holding a child. No need to kneel and kowtow."

The woman stood up with her eyes reddened.

Chen Jinyu turned to ask Ma Yaosong, "Ma Sheren, how much silver is required to buy a newborn child?"

Ma Yaosong quickly calculated and replied in a low voice, "Children aged six to ten usually cost three taels of silver. Little Six just being born, two taels of silver will suffice."

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly, "Go make a written contract, let Little Six’s father leave his fingerprint, then give the silver to him."

Ma Yaosong agreed immediately. He carried easily portable charcoal pen and paper with him, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had crafted a contract for the sale.

The man, still having some conscience, pushed the silver for Little Six’s sale back after putting down his handprint, refusing to take it.

Chen Jinyu’s face darkened, "The Commandery Princess has bought Little Six, naturally, the silver must be given. Hurry and take it!"

"Remember, each month’s grain delivered by the county government is all Little Six’s ration. Little Six is still young and needs maternal care. Her mother’s consumption of the grain ensures sufficient milk to feed Little Six."

"From now on, Little Six is the Commandery Princess’s. You must take good care of her. Any negligence, and the Commandery Princess will not be lenient!"

Jiang Shaohua silently observed the fiercely spoken Chen Sheren. Some things, as the Commandery Princess, were beneath her dignity to voice out, so it was apt for Chen Sheren to deliver the warning.

The man had to accept the silver, kneeling again to express gratitude.

"Where is the Child Tower?" Jiang Shaohua suddenly asked. "Lead the way; I, the Commandery Princess, want to see it personally."

The man didn’t dare to hesitate and agreed immediately, turning to give the silver to his mother. The old woman, holding the silver, suddenly regained energy and vitality.

Seeing this, Chen Jinyu’s anger grew even more, and just as she was about to speak, the Commandery Princess glanced over.

Reluctantly, Chen Jinyu closed her mouth.

Once everyone had left the courtyard, Chen Jinyu muttered softly, "Little Six’s sale silver should’ve been given to her biological mother."

"The head of this family is Little Six’s grandmother," Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "Such trivial matters shouldn’t be interfered with."

Changing customs and practices is inherently difficult and cannot be rushed.

Meanwhile, the woman cradling Little Six as if she were a precious treasure, couldn’t stop her tears from flowing.

As soon as the Commandery Princess’s party left, the old woman grew bold again, "Why cry! The Commandery Princess bought Little Six, that’s a great fortune. In the future, when Little Six grows up and serves in the Prince Mansion, she won’t worry about food and clothing and will even earn a monthly salary. It’s Little Six’s good fortune, benefiting our entire family."

"Hurry inside and feed Little Six. If she goes hungry, see how I’ll deal with you!"

The woman dared not cry any longer, voice low in response as she hurried back inside and unwrapped her garment.

Little Six, crying out in hunger, not knowing her fate had radically changed, began to nurse greedily. The woman looked at her tiny daughter, wanting to smile as tears rolled down again.

...

The Child Tower wasn’t that far off, just a short walk around an hour or so.

It was located in the northwestern corner of Wuyin County, within a two to three mile radius, not a soul was in sight, only a solitary tower. The tower wasn’t tall, about nine feet, made up of earthen mounds rather than bricks or stones.

From afar, a strong stench wafted over with the wind.

Chen Jinyu felt so disgusted that she was near to vomiting.

Jiang Shaohua had smelled this odor in the military camp before; it was the stench of decaying corpses. She stopped, signaling Ma Yaosong with her eyes. Ma Yaosong understood instantly and went to dismiss the man.

The man walked a long distance away, then knelt and kowtowed three times to the Commandery Princess before leaving.

"This man is not really an evil person," Jiang Shaohua said with a light sigh, "He has an elderly mother, a wife, and four children. If he has more children, he truly cannot afford to sustain them."

Covering her nose and mouth with her hand, Chen Jinyu said furiously, "But even so, he shouldn’t send the child to such a place. Drowning the child in a chamber pot directly would be less cruel."

"Drowning a child with one’s own hands is murder. No ordinary person can bear to commit that," Jiang Shaohua’s voice remained calm, yet flickers of fire danced in her eyes, "Sending them to the Child Tower allows them to avoid the guilt of conscience."

"Commandery Princess, I’m just so angry at heart," Chen Jinyu sniffed, choking on her words, "If Little Six was a baby boy, wouldn’t he have avoided the Child Tower? Daughters are equally one’s flesh and blood, so why are they looked down upon?"

Jiang Shaohua reached out and held Chen Jinyu’s hand, speaking softly, "Sister Jin Yu, I am equally outraged. Today, I will level this Child Tower!"

"Qin Hu, Meng Sanbao, you two lead the men forward, level the tower, and dig a pit to bury all the infant corpses within."

A dozen personal soldiers responded and moved swiftly forward.

They had been in battle, having taken bandit heads swiftly before. But today, upon entering the Child Tower and witnessing the horrors firsthand, it was overwhelming. Some even couldn’t hold back and turned to vomit.

It was utterly tragic!

The Child Tower was filled with the white bones of infants, and one more recent corpse had been gnawed by bugs and ants, leaving the stench originating from this small body.

Qin Hu silently stewed, kicking hard. Meng Sanbao followed with another kick. The personal soldiers took turns, quickly kicking down the tower.

Next, they needed to dig a pit and fill it up. Using swords and such weapons was inconvenient, so two of the personal soldiers went nearby to find shovels. From a few closest households, they borrowed three, taking turns and within half a day, dug a deep pit.

The infant remains were placed inside the pit.

Laid to rest in peace.