"Poor..."
Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but said,
"This girl, no matter how difficult life is... there is no need to sell your son or daughter!"
"what on earth is it?"
During the wars at the end of the Sui Dynasty, people all over the world were displaced, and this kind of thing was common.
But now there is no war in the Tang Dynasty, and it is a new country. The people, especially the people around Chang'an, are divided into fields. With those few acres of thin fields, they will not reach this point!
"The child's father died last year..."
The woman couldn't help but swallow when her daughter ate deliciously, and then whispered,
"Half of my family's farmland was deserted, and most of it was taken away by a few uncles and brothers."
"In addition, there has been another drought and locust plague this year. The harvest has been wiped out, but the court's taxes still have to be paid. It will be impossible to survive the second half of the year, let alone the winter..."
Li Shimin looked stern.
A dead man, with only one daughter at his knees.
Those relatives are cruel and naturally want to be exterminated in advance!
This kind of thing is not uncommon, whether in aristocratic families or in folk villages.
"I thought... it would be better to find a home for my child, even if he only has food to eat, than to follow me and... starve to death..."
The woman's eyes were filled with tears and she sobbed,
"If I die, I will die. The child is still young..."
"Master, please, buy her! I'm kind-hearted. If you can give her a full meal, I don't have to pay for it, I don't have to pay for it!"
These words made Li Shimin's nose feel a little sore.
"The common people of a country are reduced to selling their children and daughters. No matter what the cause is, the most responsible person... is the emperor."
He sighed softly,
"This is my crime..."
"Are there people like you who sell their sons and daughters around? How many?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes, yes."
She couldn't quite understand Li Shimin's sigh and whispered,
"After a disaster, you have no harvest and you have to pay court taxes... If your family has a lot of land, you can still sell it to the landlord. If you have less land, you can only sell your sons and daughters. If you have fewer mouths, you will have less food, and you can also exchange it for Some money..."
"There is an alley inside, and everything is being sold there... There have been more and more people recently, and I... I was squeezed out by them, so I can only stay here..."
It's ironic to say that they are so weak that even if they are selling children, they don't even have a good stall!
"What?!"
Wei Zheng was surprised and said,
"You said... there are many like you?!"
The faces of all the ministers became solemn.
"It seems that the disaster caused by this drought and locust plague is much more serious than we imagined..."
Du Ruhui said in a deep voice,
"Those people who can pray still have hope in their hearts."
"And these people who are selling their sons and daughters are obviously desperate..."
"If His Majesty hadn't seen it at a glance, we wouldn't have seen such tragic things among the people... Then, why didn't the following report this matter?"
It stands to reason that if others don't know, why don't the Jinwu guards who patrol the streets know?
"Someone wants to whitewash the situation."
Xu Fenglei said calmly,
"After all, this is the Zhenguan Dynasty. How can the tragedy that only happened in the late Sui Dynasty happen?"
"Master, here it is." Li Chengqian ran up and handed the skewers in his hand to him, saying, "Give them the freshly fried locusts! How pitiful!"
Xu Fenglei touched his head and couldn't help but feel a little relieved when he saw the expressions of pity on the children.
"Very good, you all have compassion."
He praised,
"As a member of the royal family, he lives at the top of the temple. He is often very indifferent and treats human life as nothing."
"It is said that if the king treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the king like bandits."
"You must keep this compassion and don't let it go away. If it dissipates one day, the crisis of overturning the boat will follow."
"Yes." The children listened to the instruction and nodded in agreement.
Xu Fenglei raised his hand and handed the string to the woman, saying:
"Are you hungry? Eat."
Smelling the alluring aroma, the woman hurriedly reached out to take it, but as soon as she put it to her mouth, she glanced at her daughter subconsciously.
Seeing that her daughter was still nibbling on the cake, she felt relieved and took a bite.
"I know your life will be hard without a man."
Xu Fenglei crossed his arms and said,
"Don't sell your daughter, keep her well."
"Did you see the person frying locusts over there? I will arrange for someone to teach you this skill later, and you can start a small business to make a living."
"You can't make a fortune in this kind of thing, but as long as you work diligently, you and your baby's food and clothing can still be guaranteed. Don't put your hope in the master's kindness. Most rich people are snake-hearted and can't treat your daughter kindly. Yes, it’s best to control your destiny in your own hands.”
"Give."
As he spoke, he casually took out a handful of copper coins from his money bag, about a hundred yuan, which was regarded as the start-up capital for her.
"This... Master, you are such a kind-hearted master!"
"Xiaozhu, hurry up, kneel down and kowtow to the master, kowtow to the master quickly!"
When the woman got the copper coins, she was so excited that she cried with joy. She quickly took her daughter and kowtowed to Xu Fenglei and others!
"Master is kind."
Changsun Wuji praised,
"This skill has been passed down, which can be regarded as saving the lives of this mother and daughter."
When Xu Fenglei heard this, he waved his hand.
"My ability is limited, I can only save one life or two, it's nothing."
He looked at Li Shimin and said,
"To cure this tragic situation, we have to rely on Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, let's go take a look at that alley?"
Li Shimin's face turned gloomy and he nodded slowly.
Under the leadership of the woman, they gradually left the crowded place and arrived at a remote alley.
But in the alley, everyone was wearing ragged clothes. When they saw someone coming, they all got up and stepped forward to sell:
"Master, look at it! This child is strong and strong, not lazy, eats well, and can still work!"
"Master, go ahead and buy it! You can be a bed-warming maid or a roommate..."
"Masters, I don't want much, just five taels of silver. The price can be negotiated..."
"..."
For a while, the sound of chirping could be heard.
And up front, there are also buyers picking and choosing:
"This girl is too thin! What's the point of buying her back? If the guests come, she will die in just a few days! It's not worth it!"
"No, no way... This child has been hardworking and hardworking since he was a child. You can do whatever you want..."
"Oh, she's not worth three taels. She's only worth half a penny at most. If she doesn't sell, she'll be knocked down if she doesn't!"
"Mom! You are robbing me! There is no girl who is only worth half of what she deserves. I, I... wu wu..."
"If you don't want to sell it, get out! If you don't sell it, others will sell it! After a while, famine will break out and food prices will rise. You will never be able to sell this!"
"Woooooooo..."
"..."
Li Shimin's face began to turn pale.
Being in this alley is like being in purgatory!
Those words of business reached his ears, as if they were being eaten away by insects, making his scalp numb!
(End of chapter)
