After getting married, Shen Zhiyao and Lin Jinglan were preparing to go to Changling Prefecture.
More than ten days later, they bid farewell to the Queen Mother and set off from the capital.
After leaving the capital, go all the way north, and you can reach Changling Prefecture in about a month's walk.
"Everyone, please do well. Although my daughter is dark and thin, she eats little and can work. It is definitely not a loss to buy her."
"If my son hadn't been sick and had no money for treatment, I would never have sold my daughter!"
On this day, Shen Zhiyao and his party chose an inn to take a rest.
As soon as he walked into the inn lobby, he heard a hoarse voice with some pleading in his tone.
It was a middle-aged hunchbacked man in his thirties, and standing next to him was a little girl of eight or nine years old, dark and thin.
The little girl's eyes were filled with tears, and she was sobbing silently when she heard her father wanted to sell her.
She didn’t want to sell it!
She wants to stay home.
But her younger brother was sick, and her father said that if he didn't sell her, he wouldn't have money to treat his illness.
She can only be sold, and she must be obedient and sold, otherwise, her brother will be killed.
"How much does your daughter cost?"
A bearded man touched his chin and asked.
The hunchbacked man held out two fingers: "Fifteen taels."
"Fifteen taels!"
The bearded man's eyes widened: "It's a money grab! I don't care if your daughter is worth it."
"Five taels! Five taels at most."
This skinny girl only costs five taels of silver.
The hunchbacked man was unwilling. Five taels of silver was not enough for his son's medicine.
But in the lobby, except for this person, no one else spoke.
For a moment, the hunchbacked man was a little confused.
Will it be sold or not?
Just when the hunchbacked man couldn't bear it any longer, he was thinking about selling it for five taels of silver and getting the money first.
A beautiful and loud voice came from outside the inn.
"Who wants to sell their daughter? Let me come and see."
When the servants went to check in, Shen Zhiyao turned back and looked at the door of the inn.
I saw a woman with a big red flower on her head and brightly colored clothes walking in, holding a handkerchief and swaying her waist.
The woman walked up to the hunchbacked man, stretched out her hand and pinched the little girl next to the hunchbacked man by the chin, lifted her face up, and looked at her carefully.
While she was looking around, other people in the inn also revealed the identity of this woman.
Brothel owner/bustard.
"Fifteen taels, I bought it."
After looking at it, the woman took out the money from her arms and threw it directly to the hunchbacked man.
"Wait!"
Another voice came.
Shen Zhiyao sounded familiar.
The next moment, a bright-looking young woman walked in.
This woman is the former oiran of Yihonglou in Tongfang County, Xiangxiang.
Xiangxiang walked straight to the hunchbacked man and threw out twenty taels of silver: "I bought your daughter."
"You're robbing me again!" The madam glared at Xiangxiang angrily.
Xiangxiang glanced at her without fear: "What, do you have any objections?"
"snort!"
The madam didn't know what to worry about. After stamping her feet, she took back the fifteen taels of silver she had thrown to the hunchbacked man, then turned and left.
"Your daughter is already mine, you can leave." Xiangxiang glanced at the hunchbacked man with contempt and told him to leave quickly.
The hunchbacked man held the silver in his hand and said "Thank you, girl" repeatedly from his mouth. He took one last look at his daughter and walked out of the inn.
Here, Shen Zhiyao and the others were led by the inn waiter and were about to go to the guest room on the second floor to rest.
"Dong Shen, you're welcome and safe."
Xiangxiang stopped her.
Apparently, when Xiangxiang came in just now, she also saw Shen Zhiyao.
The two asked for a table in the hotel lobby and sat down to talk.
The girl Xiangxiang had just bought stood beside Xiangxiang in fear, with tears in her eyes.
"Sit down too." Xiangxiang patted the back of the girl's hand comfortingly.
In Xiangxiang's gentle eyes, the girl gradually stopped crying, but she knew that she was bought by Xiangxiang and did not dare to sit down.
"It's okay." Xiangxiang pulled her hand. After much hesitation, the girl finally sat down.
"Dr. Shen, are you heading to Changling Prefecture?"
Shen Zhiyao was granted a marriage to Prince Rui, and Xiangxiang knew about the affairs of Prince Rui's fiefdom in Changling Prefecture.
Shen Zhiyao nodded: "Miss Xiangxiang, I didn't expect to meet you here."
This place is almost close to Changling Prefecture. I didn't expect Xiangxiang to run so far away from Tongfang County.
"Actually, my home is here." Xiangxiang smiled bitterly.
Back then, she was sold to Tongfang County.
When she grew up and was forced to accept guests, she vowed to become an courtesan, save a lot of money, and then run away with the money.
And the money she saved was going to be used to help women in distress like herself who were sold and drifted into the world.
After she returned to her hometown, she bought a brothel.
In her brothel, she sells her art but not her body.
Of course, in order to maintain the rule of not selling one's body while performing arts, and to avoid being forced to do so, she had to find a backer.
Now, no one in this city dares to have an idea of her brothel.
She would also keep people on the lookout to see if there was a girl being sold like this girl today. If she found that the girl had been bought by another brothel, she would snatch it away.
"I see."
After listening to Xiangxiang's words, Shen Zhiyao thought of the young men who spent a lot of money on Xiangxiang in Tongfang County, and some ended up selling land and houses.
————
Five days after meeting Xiangxiang, Shen Zhiyao and the others finally arrived in Changling Prefecture.
Changling Prefecture is located in the north. After entering Changling Prefecture, the scenery of several counties they saw was different from that of Tongfang County.
The leaves of the trees I saw along the way were just a little green and looked a little depressed.
Unlike Tongfang County, you can see green all year round.
When they arrived at the capital city of Changling Prefecture, a wave of people in official uniforms saw them outside the city and greeted them.
The leader was Bi Zhifu of Changling Prefecture. After respectfully paying homage to Lin Jinglan and Shen Zhiyao and Lin Suxin, he took them into the city and sent them to the mansion given to Lin Jinglan by Emperor Zhaoxing in Changling Prefecture.
After entering the mansion, Shen Zhiyao and Lin Suxin arranged for their servants to pack their things.
The next day, Magistrate Bi sent Lin Jinglan, the account book of Yuci Farm, to hand over to him.
Shen Zhiyao and Shen Baiqiu took Shen Shuisheng with them to inquire about the two academies they had inquired about before arriving in Changling Prefecture.
Let’s see which college is best for Shen Baiqiu to enroll in.
Ye Nan followed them and protected them.
After inquiring, Shen Zhiyao and the others chose an academy.
Under the inspection of the Academy Headmaster, Shen Baiqiu was admitted to the school.
After settling the matter of Shen Baiqiu's admission, Shen Zhiyao started to see where there were shops and farms where he could buy.
It's April, the time to plant potatoes.
Once you have a farm, you can start growing potatoes.
but……
