Today she was silently practicing pipa music in her room. He Xiaoyue has never had any talent in playing piano, chess, calligraphy and painting. Although her natal family is also a wealthy one, girls are not taken seriously at home. Knowing a few words is considered a tutor. Now it is even more difficult to learn the pipa from scratch than for a young Pipa boy. Because he always makes mistakes in several fingering techniques, Mu Yun's complexion becomes very ugly.
He Xiaoyue was afraid of being beaten by Mrs. Yao, so she didn't dare not work hard. Although Miss Mu Yun did not hold a bamboo board or rattan in her hand, He Xiaoyue knew that she was the meat on the chopping board and could cook it however she wanted.
In the middle of the practice, my mother suddenly came over and took her out without any explanation. She walked through the passage and went directly to the back, and put her on the boat. He tied her hands and feet, threw her on the bed in the cabin, stuffed a piece of rag into her mouth, and warned: "Don't talk nonsense, someone will come to greet you after a while!"
She was frightened in her heart, because she had heard in the past few days when her mother, "Dounfenshui" and the prostitutes were gossiping, that the brothels sometimes treat people who are not doing well in business or who are older as "has-beens". "The prostitutes were sold to out-of-town merchants or prostitutes on the water. The prostitutes didn't want to go, so they were tied up and sent to the ship. Could it be that the academy felt that it was a "rotten tree that cannot be carved" and simply sold it for money?
Being sold to a foreign merchant as a concubine can be regarded as a "good deed", which should be considered a blessing for He Xiaoyue. However, He Xiaoyue didn't think so. Foreign merchants come from all over the world. Once they are sold, they will not be able to return to their hometown for life. What's more, those who buy "out-of-date" prostitutes at cheap prices in the brothels are mostly mid-level businessmen who travel on the road. Most of these businessmen come from remote villages, and their economic conditions are generally not mentioned. There are also wealthy women in charge at home, so they buy prostitutes and take them home. Naturally, there will be no days of "eating and drinking," which is equivalent to buying a slave for the family. Moreover, a man has only been in business for a few years, and his family is run by a big woman. If the big woman is kind, he can still survive. If the big woman is powerful, the concubines will be forced to work, and they will be like slaves. In a few years, they will be unable to bear the pain and be taken care of. Death from abuse.
If you wait and sell it to a prostitute on the water, it will be even more miserable.
So the thought of being resold was just as shocking as when I found out I was being sold to a brothel.
He Xiaoyue struggled to get up from the bed. Fortunately, the rope only tied her hands and feet, and did not tie her up so much that she could not move. She reluctantly moved from the bed to the floor, leaning against the table and chair until she reached the window little by little.
Although she didn't know that this boat was from the Spring Courtyard, but seeing that the furnishings in the cabin should have been purchased by wealthy people, she became more and more frightened. Could she really be selling herself to a prostitute on the water?
The windows of this flower boat are not entirely inlaid with Australian glass. Although the glass is transparent, it would be inconvenient for people taking the "flower boat" if it is too transparent. Therefore, this window is unique. It is surrounded by fine wooden lattice and covered with soft gauze of various colors. Only a large parallel lotus pane is made in the middle and is inlaid with glass.
In this way, light can be transmitted for viewing without leaking the "spring light" in the cabin.
He Xiaoyue forced her body to stand up straight against the table, leaned against the glass and looked out. Outside was the river pier, and there seemed to be many colorful boats parked there.
While he was panicking and hesitating, he suddenly heard someone talking. Looking sideways, she saw a young man with long hair and black clothes talking to someone - but she knew the speaker, it was Mrs. Yao.
This young man she had seen on the streets of Guangzhou was called a "policeman", similar to the original police officer. He Xiaoyue escaped from Qingjie Yuan and was placed in Cihuitang. She had seen the behavior of the "police". I know that their reputation is very good, which is far from the police officers of the past.
What are the police doing here? He Xiaoyue was confused. The policeman seemed to be reprimanding Mrs. Yao, while Mrs. Yao was blocking the gangplank at the bow of the boat, seeming to be preventing the police from getting on the boat.
He Xiaoyue was immediately shocked, this policeman is going to get on the boat!
Although she didn't know why the police were on board the ship, there must be a case to be solved if the police were to board the ship. She originally wanted to call for help, but she was afraid that the police and the brothel were colluding, and that she would be beaten and tortured again... While she was hesitating, she suddenly thought, if there was really a collusion, why did Mrs. Yao desperately stop the police from getting on the boat? Obviously, there must be something fishy on this boat, and the police cannot know about it in the hospital!
When she thought of this, she suddenly felt confident. However, her mouth was stuffed with cloth and she couldn't even call for help. She knew that if she didn't speak up now, she would never get a chance.
However, the cloth in his mouth was so tightly stuffed that he couldn't hold it with his tongue. He Xiaoyue looked around again, but there was nothing to help her in the room. She was afraid that if the police didn't get on the boat, her last chance would be lost, so she reluctantly moved herself to sit on the table, retracted her feet, and opened her eyes. As soon as he closed it, he kicked his foot hard towards the glass window hole regardless of anything!
Li Ziyu is entangled with Sister Yao. Seeing that Mrs. Yao was trying to evade her attempts to let him board the ship for inspection, he became more and more determined that Ming Nu was on the boat. He was about to ask the soldiers to take Mrs. Yao down when he suddenly heard a crash on the ship. He followed the sound and heard it. I saw that the window glass of a cabin was broken, and two little feet were sticking out!
When Mrs. Yao saw it, her whole body trembled and she almost collapsed. But Li Ziyu knew that there must be something fishy on the boat, so he immediately pushed Mrs. Yao to the side and shouted: "Take it!" He jumped on the springboard and went to the boat.
There were two "Dounfenshui" guards on the boat. They saw Li Ziyu and others boarding the boat in a menacing manner. Knowing that the matter was exposed, they did not dare to hinder the official's handling of the case, so they made way for them.
"Search!" Li Ziyu gave the order, and several National Army soldiers immediately dispersed to search.
Within a moment, the soldiers came out with a woman. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with a good face, but she was haggard and pale. Although her clothes were bright, her hair was messy and she had a slender frame. There was still blood oozing out from both feet, probably from cuts caused by kicking the broken glass just now.
When the woman saw Li Ziyu, she fell to her knees with a thump and shouted: "Master, please help! Master, please help!"
The soldier reported: "She was the only one in the cabin, tied up, with a cloth stuffed in her mouth..."
Seeing that the girl she found was not Ming Nu, Li Ziyu couldn't help but feel anxious, her face turned livid, and she said coldly to Mrs. Yao: "No wonder you refused to let me check. It turns out there is a disease in your boat!"
Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Mrs. Yao hurriedly said: "Here, this little one doesn't know where she came from..."
He Xiaoyue saw that she was in trouble, so she hurriedly took a few steps on her knees, banged her head several times, and cried out in a mournful voice: "Please save the servants, they... they forced good girls into prostitution!" After saying this, she couldn't help but cry on the ground.
Although Li Ziyu didn't find Mingnu, he was worried, but the appearance of He Xiaoyue now showed that there was something wrong with the Chunyuan. He originally wanted to ask Sister Yao about the whereabouts of Mingnu, but then he thought about it, He Xiaoyue now had a reason to visit. Chunyuan is running into the crosshairs of the "customs industry rectification movement", so it's not at its own mercy! When the time comes, even if the kiln is turned over and taken apart to find Ming Nu, it won't work. There is no need to stand still like this and pretend to be cowardly. He made up his mind immediately and said to He Xiaoyue:
"Don't cry, Miss He. I understand what you are going through. Just follow us back and cooperate with the investigation. Don't be afraid. I, the Law of the Song Dynasty, am the protector of the people. I will never unjustly accuse a good person, nor let a bad person go! You If you have any grievances or grievances, or any abuse or harm you have suffered, tell me in detail when you go back!"
When He Xiaoyue heard what he said, she felt reassured and kowtowed again: "This servant prays to God and worships Buddha, and I wish Master Cha to be a prince for eternity! Everything depends on Master Cha!"
Li Ziyu turned to Mrs. Yao and sneered: "This visit to the Spring Courtyard is not your family's property. How can you be so loyal? When a clay Buddha crosses the river, you cannot protect yourself. I think you should be more open-minded!"
After that, he called to the soldiers: "Lock up these people! Take them away!"
Li Ziyu ordered two soldiers to stay on the ship and conduct further searches in case there were any hidden cabins on the ship. He took the people back to the flower hall. Sister Han Qiao was waiting anxiously. She originally wanted to send a mother sister to follow behind to check the situation. Unexpectedly, Zhao Gui who stayed here looked stupid and dull, but there was no negotiation at all. He was not allowed to leave if he said he was not allowed to leave, and it was useless even if Sister Han Qiao said anything.
She was anxious when she suddenly saw Li Ziyu coming out from behind with a stern face. Sister Han Qiao felt something was wrong. She saw He Xiaoyue staggering behind her. She was suddenly struck by thunder and almost collapsed to the ground.
Li Ziyu walked up to her and sneered: "Aunt Han, I see you really have a lot of tricks in this courtyard..."
Sister Han Qiao suppressed the panic in her heart and forced a smile: "Master Yu, I don't understand..."
When Old Man Fang saw that something was wrong, he quickly came out to smooth things over: "Master Yu! Aunt Han was confused for a moment. She is an old family here. A person who knows the rules and sense. After the Song Dynasty came, she didn't dare to follow the rules. It's against the law. It's just that old habits can't be changed for a while, so please show your respect..." He even winked at Sister Han Qiao.
Sister Han Qiao was about to come up and say something else, but Li Ziyu didn't give them a chance to act. She stopped her and said, "Let's go back to the bureau and say these words slowly. Fuchun Yuan is secretly hiding women of unknown origin and forcing girls into prostitution. We will suspend business for three days for rectification. , we will wait until the investigation is clear before taking action, and take away all the people involved in the case related to Agui!"
There was chaos in the courtyard. Various people including prostitutes, mothers, Dou Fenshui, etc. all held their breaths and did not dare to speak. They have never encountered anything like this before. A small policeman went to the courtyard to take a look, but the aunt was arrested because of a purchased woman! He even closed the door of the courtyard! Even the class leaders of the fast class in the past have never done this!
Li Ziyu asked Zhao Gui to take Sister Han Qiao back first and report to Lian Nichang, the executive deputy leader of the "Cleaning up the Customs Industry Working Group", about the visit to the Spring Courtyard.
"Tell the second-level commander: I think there may be other illegal activities here that require further investigation. Request reinforcements from the bureau." Li Ziyu said in a high-sounding voice. (To be continued.)
