As we kept interrogating the two guards, we learned a lot about the Zhao family.
For starters, they were also a commoner family two generations ago, the same as the Mei family. However, contrary to Ling and her parents, these guys fully embraced their role as slave owners.
The Zhao residence in Xiulan wasn't even their main house, as they lived in the capital. Still, the oldest daughter regularly spent her time in Xiulan since she liked being able to "play" with her slaves alone.
Zhao Lan's parents and younger brother were staying in the capital, which was great news for us as it would make our job much easier.
"Do you know how many slaves they have in the capital?" I asked.
"I-I haven't been there. But I've heard it's over thirty…" the guard replied.
One of the guards stated that the Zhao family wasn't the only one doing this, as many other noble families had dozens of enslaved commoners under their control.
