The events in Li Changqing's courtyard once again opened the eyes of the two concubines. They could even hit the eldest young master as they pleased, and the master showed no favoritism towards his eldest son. This made them deeply realize that the madam was the ultimate authority in the manor.
If they were in the madam's shoes, wanting to snatch someone else's son, would they allow his mother to flaunt herself under their nose? Wouldn't the best method be for her to die in childbirth?
The two dared not seek help from their families. Commoner families who allowed their daughters to become someone else's concubine did not truly love their daughters; they merely wanted to gain wealth and status through them and promote the boys in their own families.
After much deliberation, Concubine Wu proposed that she had heard that a group of bandits lived on a mountain about fifty kilometers from the county town. She knew that contacting these people would bring no good, but with her belly growing bigger each day, she did not want to lose her life because of it. Since death was inevitable, she decided to take a gamble.
So, one day, the two found Li Zixin and told him they wanted to go to a temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for the child about to be born.
Li Zixin considered it a major event and immediately asked the accountant to give them fifty taels of silver and assign more people to take good care of them, as they were VIPs of the manor.
Before coming, they had already spent a large sum of money to hire a few people to scout the location of the bandit stronghold. Although the hired help did not know why two weak women were inquiring about this matter, the reward was generous and the task not too dangerous, so they readily agreed.
That day, the two bribed the maids who guarded them, saying they wanted to visit their families for a night and would return early the next morning, assuring them that nothing would happen.
The maids knew that the eldest young master was finished, and the children in the concubines' wombs might be the future heads of the Li family. They did not want to offend them, and twenty taels of silver was a huge sum of money to them, like pie falling from the sky. So, the maids turned a blind eye.
The two concubines, each with their personal maid, made their way with difficulty. In reality, the personal maids did not want to help the concubines, but they knew clearly that if the concubines met a bad end, they, as their personal maids, would not survive either.
The two women's bodies were heavier, and they walked and rested along the way. They only reached their destination in the afternoon. Looking at the stockade that appeared before them, the group couldn't help but reveal confused and panicked eyes. Were they really going to do this? Once they entered, there would be no turning back.
Concubine Wu suppressed the fear in her heart and said to them, and also to herself, "We are just ordinary people. Don't we just want to live a peaceful and happy life? Is that wrong? But even this small wish cannot be fulfilled. If we leave here today, we might be gone in a few months. It won't end well if we go in, but what if, what if we have a chance to survive? Besides, even if there's no way out, we will drag the Li family down with us. The Li family has wronged us so terribly, I am not reconciled."
Concubine Liu also looked at her with a determined expression, and choked out, "At worst, we can just kill ourselves. I won't be lonely on the road to the underworld with you all. In the next life, we'll be born into a good family."
As soon as she finished speaking, the group couldn't help but burst into tears, thinking of their lives over the past decade and feeling overwhelmed with sadness.
The bandit chief couldn't believe his eyes when several beautiful women appeared before him. Someone had voluntarily walked into their trap? This was truly the first time.
The people in the stockade also looked at them with interest. In all their years as bandits, this was the first time they had seen women who willingly threw themselves into their arms. Did they not know that women who entered a bandit's lair would become bandit wives?
Seeing the dark mass of people appearing before them, the women trembled. In their lives, this was the first time they had been in the same space with so many men, feeling like lambs entering a tiger's den.
The bandit chief saw that his brothers had frightened them and waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet. After all, he had a natural protective instinct towards beautiful women.
He then ordered his brothers to bring them some stools and, rubbing his chin, said with great interest, "There's no smoke without fire, especially for beautiful women like yourselves. Speak, what brings you here?"
Concubine Liu felt very uncomfortable at his words, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. She quickly explained their purpose, "We are here today mainly to ask for your help, to save us. Of course, we won't let you work for nothing."
"Oh? Tell me more." The bandit chief paused, narrowed his eyes, and raised his eyebrows, looking at her.
Concubine Liu immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at him. She felt his eyes had a captivating charm. Trying to calm herself, she said, "We are concubines of the wealthy Li family in the east of the city, the family of Li Zixin, the county magistrate. We want to cooperate with you from the inside."
"If I'm not mistaken, you are pregnant. What kind of grudge do you have with the Li family that you want to put them to death?" Before the bandit chief could speak, the second-in-command raised his doubts. He was quite interested in these two women. Although they were pregnant, it wasn't a big deal to him. A dose of medicine would resolve it, and then they could live happily with him.
"We are his concubines, that's true, but we also want to survive. We are ordinary people from the city, with many siblings in our families. Since childhood, we were not loved by our parents. When we grew up and heard that the Li family wanted to take concubines, we rushed to them. It was only after entering the manor that we realized they didn't just want sons, but also our lives. The reason is that he wanted to climb higher in his career but didn't want to offend the madam, so he could only have a child without a mother. We sisters really had no choice."
The bandit chief did not doubt this. After all, he had never seen a woman from a secluded inner chamber come to a bandit's lair unless she was desperate and had no other options.
"Alright, it's already dark. You can rest here for the night," the bandit chief said calmly after thinking it through.
When only a few trusted men remained in the main hall, the second-in-command became anxious, "Big brother, you're not tempted, are you? We've been able to live here peacefully for so many years not only because we are strong and they dare not provoke us, but also because we have never committed crimes in the vicinity. We only rob those who deserve it, and our brothers act on behalf of heaven."
The others nodded in agreement, feeling that they should not take risks for a few women and anger the county officials, fearing that their future days would be difficult.
The bandit chief sighed, "Do you think I don't know? I even know about Li Zixin, whom they mentioned. He is a truly villainous person, who will stop at nothing to climb higher. This is not the reason why I chose to make an enemy of them. More importantly, I received news that the county magistrate is preparing to gather a group of people to suppress the bandits. They have come at just the right time. We should take the initiative to attack them and instill fear in their hearts."