While several people were talking, Xu Dayong entered the front hall.
"Sir, that man named Jia Wang and Chen Yapo are both here."
"You came early enough. We'll go there right now."
It is said that for a business to develop into an industry, it cannot be formed through one or two transactions. It requires sufficient supply of goods, complete production and processing sites and broad market demand in a certain period and in a certain area.
Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, officials and businessmen have colluded to exploit the people. Even the Ming Empire, a country that seemed to have the potential to be powerful in the eyes of many people, had already been very acute in its internal conflicts because of the huge gap between rich and poor. The simplest legal standard for dividing social classes in ancient China was "good" and "untouchable". Slaves were untouchables, the lowest social class, and had no independent personality in law.
(Historically, it was not until the first year of Xuantong that the Qing government abolished the private ownership and trade of slaves and allowed domestic slaves to redeem themselves. So don’t always talk about opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty and promoting democracy. You really think it’s cool to cut off the pig’s tail and hold a flintlock gun. Does being cool mean being advanced? The first thing that needs to be opposed is the "differentiation between good and bad", which is for slaves to become masters! If this is not resolved, China will always be a feudal slave society.)
On the one hand, the upper-class officials and gentry were full of fat and shameless debauchery; on the other hand, due to natural and man-made disasters, heavy taxes and labor, and other reasons, the poor and landless had to sell their already thin daughters to local people in order to survive.
Human trafficking was originally a legal business in feudal society. There has always been a distinction between "good and bad" in ancient society, which is the long-term combination of the remnants of slavery and the feudal hierarchy. During the Qin Dynasty, the government established a "market for slaves and maidservants, with fences for cattle and horses." When the tax deed system was implemented in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the tax objects were divided into three categories: "goods sold to slaves and maidservants, horses and cattle, and fields and houses." Therefore, being an intermediary in human trafficking has become an officially permitted activity.
So you see, there is broad market demand, sufficient supply and "raw materials" are available, and the government has institutional guarantees. Then "thin horse" has naturally become an industry.
Let's talk about regional factors. Because the wealthy salt merchants in Yangzhou were extremely rich and had abnormal psychology, they developed a deformed aesthetic concept that regarded thinness as beauty. In fact, there is nothing wrong with using thinness as beauty as an aesthetic form, just like fatness as beauty in the Tang Dynasty.
However, the result of excessive pursuit of thinness is that women as male accessories endure painful torture; such as the three-inch golden lotus.
Women who are engaged in thin horse brokerage are called "yapo" and "yasao", which are also one of the "six pos" among the "three aunts and six pos". Men are called "婵䩩", "俩" means traders, and "婵" means traders who engage in the business of cattle, horses and other livestock. )
Chen Yapo did not have her feet bound because she was a boat girl. Boat girls are untouchables. If the boat girls have their feet bound, they will fall into the water and drown. As for Jia Wang, he is a charlatan. His ancestors did sell livestock to Yangzhou.
People like them are also called "white ants", which means they dig in wherever there is a crack. These white ants are entrusted by families who raise "skinny horses" and look for buyers everywhere.
Because the two of them were the first to arrive, they were whispering outside the concierge and discussing countermeasures. After a while, Zhao Xin and Wu Siyu came out. Chen and Jia quickly greeted each other. After a brief discussion, Zhao Xin left with Chen Yapo, while Wu Siyu left with Jia Wang.
After leaving the courtyard, Jia Wang called a carriage. After Zhao Xin was ready, he got on the carriage and told the driver where to go.
The same procedure has been carried out several times, and Zhao Xin has long lost the initial novelty. So Jia Wang also wanted to introduce where to go today, so Zhao Xin kept talking.
In addition to looking at thin horses these days, he also went on a buying spree at antique shops all over the city. Whether it was jade, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, various furniture, or porcelain, as long as he thought it was good, he would pay for it. The antique dealers in Yangzhou are all talking privately, saying that a "bangchui" from the capital has recently come to the capital. Regardless of whether it is genuine or fake, they will pay for it if they like it without even telling the price.
Originally, he wanted to exchange gold for silver through Shen Jingdan, but Shen Jingdan told him that he could just go to a bank owned by a Shanxi man in the city to exchange for a banknote, which was very convenient. There are both payable on demand and long-term bills.
During the Qianlong period, because a quarter of the world's finances and taxes came from Yangzhou, there was a huge amount of silver circulating in the market, so the price ratio of gold and silver was one to eleven. Zhao Xin took four boxes of Japanese small judgment gold and, accompanied by Shen Jingdan and Lao Huang, went to a bank to exchange them for pay-on-demand silver notes, ranging from 3,000 taels to 5 taels (one pound in the Qing Dynasty) Sixteen taels, but one tael is 37.5 grams.)
More than half an hour later, the carriage passed through the bustling streets and stopped in front of a courtyard outside the city. Jia Wang jumped off the carriage and stepped forward to knock on the door.
"Old Chen, Old Chen! Are you at home?"
"I'm coming."
The courtyard door rang softly, and a middle-aged man opened the door and walked out. "Hey, it's Jia Er! What kind of wind brought you here today?"
Jia Wang laughed and scolded: "You're so arrogant! Didn't you ask me to help find some buyers last month? I invited the buyers here today."
The middle-aged man looked over and asked in a low voice: "Why is it just one car? I have seven or eight daughters here!"
"Don't worry, this gentleman has a good background. He is from the capital and wants to buy dozens of them!"
"Ah!" The middle-aged man was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly stepped forward to lift the curtain of the carriage and said, "Master, please get out of the car."
Jia Wang and the middle-aged man helped Zhao Xin out of the carriage together, and asked the carriage driver to wait at the door; the three of them entered the yard. As he walked, Jia Wang pointed at the middle-aged man and introduced: "Sir, his name is Chen Songyuan. He has more than a dozen daughters at home, and he asked me to help find him last month."
Chen Songyuan flattered him with a smile on his face: "Master, you look like a big shot at first sight. You are young, you are talented, and you are as beautiful as a tree. My daughter will be happy when she sees her. I don't know whether you want to be younger or take her back to the back house to learn from." ?”
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "When you meet a good girl, you will naturally want to be small. If you don't like her, but she is smart, you won't treat her badly if you become a maid in the house."
Chen Songyuan said: "I wonder what kind of business I do in the capital?"
Zhao Xindao: "It's nothing. I just help the palace and the adults buy some fur ginseng from the north every year. It's boring."
"That's that." Chen Songyuan was flattering while guessing that Zhao Xin might be from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, this cannot be said or asked. Even if you ask someone about their name and origin, they usually will not tell the truth. Of course, the local salt merchants in Yangzhou are different. But since the other party is accompanied by Jia Wang, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Jia Wang helped from the side and said: "The daughters of the Chen family are considered to be the best in our Yangzhou, and they are all first-rate and stunning. They play the piano and flute, recite poems and paint, go, play chess, play dominoes, and are all kinds of obscene and skillful. Master, they are all excellent. After a while you will know that the villain is not talking nonsense."
Zhao Xinxin said, "Why do you fool me every time you make such clichés?"
Chen Songyuan walked two steps slowly and whispered to Jia Wang, "Have you brought the gold hairpin?"
Jia Wang smiled and nodded, which meant that of course he would take it with him, don't worry.
The golden hairpin mentioned by the two people is a necessary prop when choosing a "skinny horse". If the guest is satisfied with the girl, he will put a gold hairpin in the other person's head, and then start to negotiate the price and agree on a wedding date. Generally, after a woman enters a man's home, there will be a three-day "regret period." That is, if the owner is not satisfied with them, they can return them to the fan.
The gold hairpins Zhao Xin was carrying actually meant something else, otherwise people would think he was just here for fun. He didn't want to give it to anyone at all. He was going to have a pot of steamed buns in two days anyway, so why waste it in advance?
As Zhao Xin walked, he discovered that the house was quite large, with three entrances to the front and two to the left, and it seemed that it housed many girls. After entering the second flower hall and sitting down, a woman brought tea.
Zhao Xin took a sip of tea, the temperature was just right. He put on an impatient look and said to Jia Wang: "Hurry up! I have to pick out antiques later."
Jia Wang nodded to Chen Songyuan, and Chen Songyuan bowed and said to Zhao Xin: "Please wait a moment. I don't know if you are here today. My daughters have to freshen up for a while and will come out in a while." After saying that, he exited the flower hall.
About 20 minutes later, a woman walked into the flower hall supporting a girl. The girl wore a light yellow top with pink trim on her upper body, and a light green skirt embroidered with lace.
The woman said to the girl: "Girl, I'm here to pay my respects."
The girl didn't say anything and bowed her head.
The woman said again: "Girl, go up."
The girl still lowered her head and was helped to take two steps forward. This is to let the guests see the posture.
The mother-in-law waited for the girl to stand still and said, "Girl, turn around." The girl then shyly lowered her head and turned sideways, her face facing the sunlight coming in from outside the house. Zhao Xin took a look and saw that the girl was wearing light makeup, with delicate eyebrows and a pink oval face. She looked like a beautiful woman. But she looks... she looks like a little girl, at most thirteen or fourteen years old!
The mother-in-law continued: "Girl, lend me your hand and take a look." After that, she reached out and picked up the girl's left arm and lifted up the sleeve.
The old woman was obviously an expert and knew how to seduce guests. She lifted up her sleeves and walked up little by little. After the girl's thin and white hand was gradually exposed, the mother-in-law glanced sideways at Zhao Xin. Seeing that the other party had no reaction, she continued to move up slowly. Rolling up the girl's sleeves, her forearms like snow lotus roots were gradually exposed.
Zhao Xin looked at the girl's slender arms and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, just giving him some porridge for the whole day, look at how thin his child is! When I return to Beihai, I will eat steamed buns and stewed meat three times a day to keep up with my nutrition.
Seeing Zhao Xin's look of regret, the woman suddenly smiled and said to the girl, "Girl, look at your husband."
The girl lowered her head shyly, glanced at Zhao Xin for a moment, and then quickly turned back. Then a blush appeared on her cheeks. This can be seen as knowledgeable at first glance, and it can only be achieved after thousands of exercises. You can not only let the guests feel that your eyes are staring blankly, but also let the guests see your eyebrows clearly.
The mother-in-law continued: "How old is the girl?"
The girl replied shyly: "I am thirteen years old." Her voice was clear and slightly delicate.
Zhao Xinxin said, indeed he was right! Thirteen year old girl movie.
Now comes the last item, which is what Zhao Xin and others dislike the least.
The old woman said: "Girl, let's go for a walk." After hearing this, the girl stretched out her left hand to pull the skirt, and supported the old woman with her right hand, stretched out her toes, and walked a few steps.
A good piece of cabbage is ruined before it lasts!
Seeing that Zhao Xin had no reaction, Jia Wang stepped forward and said, "Sir, this girl's name is Tang Xiao, and she is one of the best here. What do you think?"
Zhao Xin nodded, smiled and said, "Let's look at the others."
After Jia Wang heard this, don't wave your hand at the woman. When the old lady saw her, she had no choice but to take the girl and bow to her again before turning around and going out. When the girl was about to go out, she suddenly turned her head and glanced at Zhao Xin, which made Zhao Xin tremble. It was clearly a pleading look, hoping that he could bring the other person out of the sea of suffering.
In the next two hours, Zhao Xin looked at more than 20 girls in succession. Among them, there is actually a pair of twin sisters named Ertang! At first sight, they looked like they were made from the same mold. It was impossible to tell which one was the older sister and which one was the younger sister. They were both equally beautiful and lovely. But then Jia Wang said that the one with a mole on the left hand is the elder sister, and the one without it is the younger sister.
Among these twenty-odd girls, according to appearance and beauty, the ones who stand out are first-class; the others are second-class; and the most ordinary ones are third-class.
When Zhao Xin finished reading it, he didn’t say who he liked. This made Chen Songyuan very surprised. He knew best how outstanding his girls were. He couldn't even look down on such stunning beauties as Er Tang and Tang Xiao. Could this person be deliberately teasing her? !
"Bang!" Zhao Xin slapped the coffee table, and a one hundred tael silver note appeared on the table. "It's a reward for you! I need to check it carefully when I get back. Come back in a few days." After saying that, he got up and walked out.
Chen Songyuan hurriedly picked up the banknote and was overjoyed when he saw it was one hundred taels. So rich! One hundred taels without blinking an eye. For someone like Tang Xiao, the price in his mind was only eight hundred taels. Thinking of this, he quickly chased after him.
Zhao Xin walked out of the courtyard, scanned everything around him, then turned back to take a closer look at the appearance and characteristics of the courtyard door, and remembered it in his mind. Then he stepped on the footstool and got into the carriage.
Chen Songyuan stood outside the courtyard gate and bowed with a flattering look on his face: "Master, come and get engaged as soon as you think about it. My Tang Xiao and Ertang fell in love with me at first sight."
On the way back from the carriage, Zhao Xin went to an antique shop on East Street and bought several sets of Ming-print books and two blue and white plum vases. After returning home, Jia Wang helped Zhao Xin deliver the purchased antiques to the front hall. Zhao Xin said "Thank you" and gave him a ten-tael banknote, saying that he would not read it for the next few days. Take some rest and go to Chen's house in five days to finalize the candidate.
After Jia Wang left with a smile on his face, Zhao Xin told Xu Dayong in detail the location he went to today and the appearance of the courtyard, and finally told him: "Find out the details of that house and the surrounding situation for me." Dayong nodded and left immediately.
Zhao Xin sat on the armchair in the front hall and secretly cursed: "Chen Songyuan actually raised more than 20 girls, all of them as thin as bamboo poles. You bastard, I've got you!"
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Jia Wang has been worried about his business being intercepted for the past two days, so after having breakfast early in the morning, he hurried to Zhao Xin's house and knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, no one opened the door after knocking for a long time. Just as Jia Wang was anxiously worried, a boy in Tsing Yi walked over from the alley. When he walked to the courtyard gate, he looked at Jia Wang with a strange expression.
"Who are you looking for?"
"This little brother, I'm looking for Mr. Zhao from this family."
"Dong Zhao's family is gone."
"Leaved?!" Jia Wang was stunned and quickly asked: "Dare you ask me, little brother, who are you?"
"I am a servant of Mr. Shen's family. This house was originally lent by Mr. Shen to Dong Zhao's family. The master asked me to come over and clean the yard."
"Excuse me, when did Mr. Zhao leave?"
"Yesterday afternoon. They said that an urgent message came from the capital and asked them to go back quickly. Mr. Zhao and his party hired a boat from Tianning Temple Pier and left."
Jia Wang was stunned for a moment. When he saw the young man in green clothes about to open the door and enter the courtyard, he quickly took out a few coins from his pocket, stuffed them into the other man's hand, and continued to ask: "Excuse me, did Mr. Zhao take Xina's concubine with him when he left?"
"There is no concubine!" Guisheng put the money into his arms with a smile and said, "Are you a monk? Mr. Zhao was walking in a hurry. He only brought some antiques he bought, and there was no girl at all."
"Oh. Thank you so much." Jia Wang looked regretful and left dejectedly.
In the morning that followed, five or six shamans and Yapo came in and out. When Guisheng who was cleaning the yard said that Mr. Zhao and his party had returned to the capital in a hurry because of urgent matters, they all sighed in frustration.
These gentlemen from the capital are generous with their money. Every time they meet a girl, although they don't like her, they can easily reward her with a few taels of silver. They are really the biggest idiots in the world throughout the ages. It’s really unpleasant to lose such a huge source of wealth!
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