After hearing this, Laidi looked up at Liu Quexian.
Seeing this, Laidi buried her head lower: "Why are you here?"
"I."
Before Liu Quexian finished speaking, Qin Rui came over and said, "I think you two are a perfect match. If you want to buy it, can I give you ten taels of silver?"
Liu Quexian did not agree.
"Brother Xian, please buy me. I can cook, comb my hair, sew, starch, and weave."
When Laidi saw that Liu Quexian had not agreed or walked away, she took the initiative to beg.
Liu Quexian thought for a while, then finally gritted his teeth and took out a small piece of silver of about one or two weights from the cloth bag with the official seal and stuffed it into Laidi's hand: "You can keep it."
After saying that, Liu Quexian turned around and ran away.
Laidi looked at Liu Quexian's back with emotion.
"Bring it!"
Qin Rui immediately took the money from Laidi's hand and said, "Until your deed of sale is handed over, all your money is the Gong family's money!"
Laidi nodded.
"One tael of silver is quite a lot. It will last me a long time."
Liu Quexian ran and couldn't see Laidi when he turned around, and then he started to mutter in his mouth.
Immediately, he saw Chen Mu, a servant of the Chang family who used to go to the countryside with the official Chang Gui, who was also bowing and shouting: "Buy a loom, a good loom, a loom made of pine wood, weaving efficiency High. To make up for the loss, I’ll sell it at half price! I also ask all my fellow villagers to show their appreciation and help my Chang family!”
"Loom?"
After hearing this, Liu Quexian thought for a moment, then turned around and ran away, then ran back and stood panting in front of Laidi. Then when he saw that her hands were empty, he took out about ninety taels of silver and said to Qin Rui: "I want to buy it. Let her go.”
Liu Quexian pointed at Laidi as he spoke.
Qin Rui was overjoyed and hurriedly took out Laidi's deed of betrayal and handed it to Liu Quexian.
Ordinary people have limited income and are willing to spend more than ten taels of silver to buy a young girl. However, there are very few people who participate in such high consumption.
What's more, the Gong family is really in a hurry because of the New Deal and is eager to sell people for cash. After all, the head of the family is still in government office.
Therefore, Qin Rui was afraid that Liu Quexian would regret it.
However, it can also be seen that the New Deal still dealt a heavy blow to the wealthy gentry.
You must know that throughout history, only common people sell people, and it is rare for gentry to sell people.
Liu Quexian threw about nine taels of silver into his hands.
Qin Rui weighed it and said, "It's not enough! Add more. I have scissor magnets. If there are more, I will cut and suck them for you."
"The money you took from me that I gave to Sister Laidi, plus this amount, is enough for you to get kickbacks, but it's not enough!"
Liu Quexian said to Laidi, "Come with me, Sister Laidi."
Laidi nodded and followed Liu Quexian in small steps.
And Qin Rui chuckled and gritted his teeth: "What a good boy, you will be a promising person in the future!"
"My parents are gone, and my farmland was confiscated because the government said I owed taxes. Fortunately, the new Futai chief was a good official. He gave me a tax receipt and said I didn't owe taxes. He also confiscated my farmland. Give me the silver, otherwise, I wouldn’t have the money to buy you.”
After Liu Quexian bought Laidi, he told Laidi the reason why he appeared here.
"ah!?"
Laidi stopped, looked at Liu Quexian and said, "Brother Xian, then you shouldn't buy mine."
Liu Quexian touched his head and smiled: "Didn't you say you can weave? I want to buy a loom for you to weave, so that I can go back to study at the Wang Family School with peace of mind."
Laidi was speechless and just continued walking with Liu Quexian.
Liu Quexian added: "Don't worry, I heard from Chang Geng, the eldest son of the Wang family, that the price of cloth in Changmen, Suzhou is now one per day, especially for overseas Chinese businessmen who go overseas to collect cloth, silk and raw silk. The price is higher, and one woman can weave it. It's not a problem to get twenty taels of silver at the age of cloth. This is enough for both of us to live on and for me to study. It's just that both you and I have to work harder. You don't have to rest. I have to take time to go to Suzhou."
Since the Longqing Switch, whether selling cotton cloth and transporting it northward to Jiubian for military supplies, grain from Huguang to the Yangtze River to the south of the Yangtze River, or goods from Jiangxi and Nanzhi to Fujian and Zhejiang for sea, they all have to pass through Suzhou, especially the Changmen area of Suzhou.
Therefore, at this time, Suzhou was regarded as the economic center of the entire Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Suzhou was also regarded as a bellwether for the rise and fall of the prices of various commercial products in the Ming Dynasty. Basically, when Suzhou rose, other places would follow suit.
After Liu Quexian said this, Laidi felt relieved.
After ordering the loom and buying some necessities such as rice and meat, Liu Quexian returned home with Laidi.
After returning home, Laidi consciously went to the kitchen, while Liu Quexian spread the straw he bought on the bed and covered it with a new mat.
After the meal, after seeing their loom delivered and paying the remaining silver, the two agreed to boil water and help each other wash their hair.
Liu Quexian took the initiative to let Laidi wash first. When he poured warm water on her head, he was fascinated by the white neck under the back of Laidi's head and had the idea of taking a look inside.
But after smelling the fragrant scent of soap locust scrubbing, all Liu Quexian blurted out was "Sister Laidi, your hair smells good."
Laidi just smiled and asked, "Are you ready?"
After a while, Liu Quexian replied: "Okay."
Laidi squeezed her wet hair dry, touched the cloth on the stool, covered her black hair, sat on the stool, and started rubbing it.
After Laidi dried her hair and put it into a bun, she filled a basin of hot water again, added cold water to test the temperature, and then said, "Okay, squat down."
Liu Quexian jumped down, took off the cloth on his head, and buried his head in the basin.
"A lot of oil."
Wow!
As a stream of warm water flowed down, Laidi started washing Liu Quexian.
After washing and drying, the two got on the bed, lay down separately, looked at each other, and smiled.
At this time, the sky was gradually getting dark and everything was silent, except for the sound of dogs barking in the distance from time to time.
"Brother Xian, you haven't torn up my contract of sale yet, have you?"
Laidi suddenly asked.
"No, what's wrong?"
Liu Quexian asked.
Laidi said: "Then don't tear it up! If the situation changes this year and there is a new official and you have to charge more taxes, you can still sell me to make a living."
Liu Quexian said "Hmm" and started to touch Laidi. Soon he touched Laidi's catkin and held it tightly.
Laidi was already sleeping soundly by this time.
"Will the times change?"
Liu Quexian silently recited Laidi's words for a while, and then fell into a drowsy sleep.
The next day, Liu Quexian woke up with the sound of a machine hitting his ear canal.
But when he saw that there was no one next to him, he sat up in panic, and then he laughed reassuringly when he heard the sound of the machine. Then he stood up, pulled on his shoes, and walked towards the outhouse while getting dressed and said: "Sister Laidi, I'll go to the Wang Family Private School first and report to my husband! If I don't come back at noon, you can make your own food."
"Don't you want breakfast?!"
When Laidi dropped the shuttle and stood up to ask, Liu Quexian ran out as fast as he could: "I won't eat anymore!"
…
"Don't eat! There's no time. The lectures and readings in Wenhua Hall are about to begin."
at this time.
In the Forbidden City, Zhu Yijun, who had slept for a while because he was greedy for cold, threw down his bowls and chopsticks, and after talking, he quickly stepped onto the imperial chariot.
Zhang Jing also hurriedly followed, and turned around to order a large table to be removed as soon as possible.
As soon as he arrived at the Wenhua Hall, after Zhu Yijun finished attending the Confucian lectures given to him by the Hanlin lecturers, when it was Zhang Juzheng's turn to give him a small lesson, he took the initiative to ask: "What are you going to teach me today? Or about the past dynasties?" Emperor?"
"Today I will not talk to Your Majesty about the emperors of the past dynasties. I will only inquire about the sufferings of the people."
Zhang Juzheng smiled.
Zhu Yijun asked with a curious smile: "Really? Sir, how do you want me to visit the people's sufferings?"
"It has been half a year since the emperor was purged. Your Majesty might as well instruct your ministers to go out with your Majesty to inspect the palace and see the changes inside and outside the capital in the six months since the emperor was purged and until your Majesty ascended the throne. Let the Jin Yiwei and the censor patrolling the city know about this matter and lay a good secret. guard."
Zhang Juzheng cupped his hands and asked.
Zhu Yijun hurriedly stood up and said, "I've had this intention for a long time! It's better to choose the day than to hit it."
After saying that, Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Jing: "The Chief of Ceremonies will immediately draw up a handwriting that I want you and your husband to accompany me out of the palace. If the Queen Mother asks, let Zhang Hong find a way to deal with it."
"According to the order!"
