We took a boat along the Yanjiang River, all the way to the southwest, passing through Huaiyang and Shencheng, and then changed to a horse-drawn carriage. We walked on the pipeline for three days, and it took us more than two months before we arrived in Bianzhou.
Zhang Yuan and others settled down in the inn, and let him talk and talk, but I went to Shen's residence alone.
I have been away from home for more than three years, and I didn't go out much in the past. Fortunately, the Shen family is considered a respectable family in this small Bianzhou. After asking for directions a few times, I found it in a short time.
I looked up at the gate of Shen's mansion. I used to think that these two doors were tall and majestic. It wasn't until I went to Shangjing and saw the dazzling pavilions and pavilions that I could understand why my father kept the door open for so many years. Stick to it. I stood still for a long time, looking at the lacquered door, I seemed to have a sense of homelessness, but what was more, it was the desolation of things and people.
After hesitating again and again, I still stepped forward and knocked on the door. After waiting for a while, someone responded. As soon as the porter opened the door, they saw each other's faces. He looked at me secretly, thinking that I looked like a scholar, so he asked politely: "May I ask who you are looking for?"
I restrained my expression and bowed politely: "I don't know... is the master of your house here?"
He said: "It's very unfortunate that this brother came here. My master just left the house this morning."
Hearing this, I paused, and subconsciously asked: "Did the master ever say when will he return?"
He shook his head: "This villain doesn't know."
I stood in a daze, not knowing what I was thinking about, the concierge called several times, I just woke up, and only heard him say: "Why don't you leave your name behind, and when the master returns home, you can also inform me."
But I shook my head, and said in a deep thought, "So...it's okay." I cupped my hands at him, "I'll come to visit another day, and I'll leave."
In this world, women marry high, and if the status of the two households is disparate, most of them will not interact with their natal families, especially those who are sloppy. Since ancient times, most of the squirrels marry high, and there are often several husbands. Later, Lu Sheng said that it was against ethics for one wife to serve multiple husbands, and it would damage the face of the family. Therefore, for those who married high, the natal family received the bride price according to the number of husbands. People in the world are so ignorant, therefore, those who marry high in the scorpion are pity by their husbands, and most of them don't go back home to visit their relatives, because doing so may harm their father and brother. It has become a custom until now. The marriage of the scorpion is said to be a matchmaker's agreement, but it is actually more like a big deal.
Back then, the Shen family in Jingzhong lied to my father and married me into the Xu family, thinking that in the hearts of my relatives, I had already passed away, and even if they found out the truth later, I would be no different from a dead person.
We turned our heads and took a few steps, when someone chased us from behind the door and shouted: "Sanxi!"
Turning around, seeing the person coming, he couldn't help calling out: "Brother?"
When the elder brother saw it was me, he was overwhelmed with surprise: "It's really you, but fortunately Ah Jiu has extraordinary eyesight, otherwise—" Before he finished speaking, he looked at me first, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, but also He didn't rush to ask, just said, "Go first, and then talk after entering the door."
The eldest brother led me into the door, I was stunned, I never expected that after three years, I would come back one day. The eldest brother called me again, and I stepped in.
On the way, my elder brother kept talking. I raised my eyes and looked around the house, feeling familiar yet unfamiliar.
My elder brother took me to Xieyiju, he has calmed down now, the courtyard is not as lively as it used to be, but it has become much cleaner and more pleasant. At this time of year, Shangjing has already entered winter, and Bianzhou is still warm.
"Come, sit down." My elder brother and I sat down in the pavilion, and said to the person behind us, "Ah Jiu, serve tea."
I glanced at the servant named "Ah Jiu", and found that this servant was really tall and tall, and his face was also different from the others. I couldn't say whether he was good-looking or not, but his eyebrows and eyes were a bit familiar. Seeing me sizing him up, my elder brother frowned, and said, "Don't be surprised, little brother, Ah Jiu... is not a Han Chinese, but he is not used to others looking at him like this."
I hurriedly looked away, and said, "It's Sanxi who is being rude."
The elder brother let out an "hey" and said, "Now that I'm finally home, my younger brother, don't use the Beijing rules, just be more casual."
Afterwards, my eldest brother talked to me about the old days. He didn't ask me why I was here or why I was dressed like this. He only asked me about some things on the road, whether I was taken care of by someone, and it was enough to ask me. He didn't say he was concerned, but he still had good intentions. After drinking two cups of tea, I didn't go around and explained the purpose of my visit directly. The eldest brother thought he had expected it, and said: "Father is in charge, and the third aunt will be buried on the grave behind the Yizhuang, standing next to the grave of the fourth aunt.
A lowly concubine has a low status and cannot go to the hall when she is alive, nor can she enter the ancestral hall after death, even the fourth aunt who gave birth to the fifth sister.
Later, my eldest brother personally sent me out, and before I left, he asked me to stay: "Why don't you wait until your father returns home and see him before leaving?"
"No." I bowed to him, "Sanxi is not filial and cannot serve my father. I implore the elder brother to do a filial piety on behalf of the younger brother. In the next life, he will definitely repay this kindness."
The eldest brother sighed, raised his hand and pressed my shoulder, hesitated to speak, and finally said: "The mountain is high and the water is long, fourth brother, how precious you are."
I said goodbye to my elder brother, and went to the graveyard alone early the next morning. There are countless graves there, and it took a lot of work to find my aunt's grave. I took out the gold paper and burned it, kowtowed three times in front of the grave, and then went down the mountain.
When I got back to the inn, I said to Zhang Yuan: "It's been a while since the manager accompanied me to travel abroad. There are many affairs in Beijing and China. Why don't you go back and report to me as soon as possible."
Originally, Zhang Yuan sent me to Shencheng, so I should go back. I thought it was fate, so I accompanied me to the present. Zhang Yuandao: "I don't know, what plans does Master Shen have in the future?"
When walking outside, they would not call me Young Master, so they called me Lord Shen, and I just let it go.
I slowly turned to the window, looking at the bustling streets, my heart was so rare, I just said: "One step, it's just one step."
Three days later, I said goodbye to Zhang Yuan.
He insisted on keeping two people with me, Zhang Yuan said to them: "From now on, you are no longer the servants of the Xu family, but the servants of Lord Shen, do you understand?"
"Understood." The two men bowed their heads in response.
Zhang Yuan turned to me and said, "From now on, they will follow Master Shen. If Master Shen is happy, he will keep it. If it is not convenient to use it, it is Master Shen's own idea to sell it. The villain will never interfere."
These two servants are the sons of Xu's family, if I don't want them, they will never go back to Xu's. After all, Jiang is old and hot, Zhang Yuan has figured out my temper, and knows that I will definitely keep them.
Before he left, he instructed his servants about many trivial matters, and solemnly handed me a jade tablet, saying: "Master Shen takes this thing, not to mention that accountants in various places can get money, even the government should treat you three points , when you go out, you should be extremely cautious in everything.”
I knew very well that I was not in the same position, so I did not pretend to refuse, so I accepted this kindness.
After sending off Zhang Yuan and others, I also set off with two servants.
We first went to Chan County, and because the weather was getting colder, we stayed for a month, and when the New Year was over, we took a boat along the water and went to Yangcheng. Along the way, I met many things and met many people. The farther away from the capital, besides ordinary people on the street, there are also many quacks. Some people only met once, some were lucky enough to sit at the same table, and some hit it off right away and went their separate ways the next day.
I don't stay long in every place, and I often pack my bags and leave when I'm familiar with the local customs and customs.
In April, spring is warm and flowers are blooming, and I traveled to Chenzhou.
I was walking around, and the servants of the Xu family followed closely, so I couldn't help leaking the news. Wherever he went, most of the time, people would come to pick him up, some were from the Xu family's village, and some were the offshoots of the Xu family. Most of them don't know my exact identity, they only think that I am a nobleman of the Xu family. The former never bothered much, while the latter showed great hospitality. When I arrived in Chenzhou, the prefect of Chenzhou and the Xu family in Jingzhong were not related to Wufu, so they had sent someone to wait for me early on.
The magistrate of Chenzhou has a very eloquent master, whose surname is Fu. I will call him Mr. Fu. In Chenzhou for a few days, Mr. Fu took us around. Although Chenzhou is not as rich as Anyang, Shencheng and other places, it is still considered affluent, and Chenzhou's street market is different from other places, that is, the city of people. As the name suggests, Renshi is a place where slaves are traded.
The market opens on the 15th of every month, and Mr. Fu took me to see the excitement. I saw a person kneeling with his head in the front row, big and small, male and female. These people, after being bought back, can serve as slaves and servants, and some can be pets and concubines.
I glanced over and saw that the slaves were all unkempt, but the three or four slaves in the back were neatly dressed, regardless of gender, they all had makeup on their faces. There were quite a few people gathered around them, and they looked like they were dressed in rich locals, which was different from others, and there were guards from the government beside those men and women. Mr. Fu has always been shrewd. When he saw my confusion, he explained: "Those few are scorpions. Because of family crimes, they were charged with low status, but they are rare goods to live in. Among them, those who have never been married will be betrothed by the government. Those who are a little older, have married and had children, are not so lucky."
It turned out that those people were indeed a little older, but their faces were numb and their eyes were dull.
Mr. Fu sighed: "People who fall into low status are mostly bought by ordinary people. After giving birth, if they are not favored, the husband's family will often resell them. Such behaviors are mostly low-level. It is despised by others."
Before he finished speaking, I turned my head and squeezed out of the crowd.
"Master Shen, Lord Shen—" The attendant caught up with me and supported me alone, I couldn't help it, I raised my hand to cover my mouth, and retched next to him.
After returning, I had several nightmares and was ill for half a month. After he recovered, the door was still closed and no visitors were seen, which made Mr. Fu tremble and offended me for some reason. I brushed off the apology sent by the magistrate, and only told my servants to pack it up in a few days and leave quietly.
If you are born in a good family, you are a lucky person who has been cultivated for several lifetimes. If you are unfortunate enough to come from a humble background, your life will be worse than that of a prostitute. I have heard of this for a long time, and until now I have seen it with my own eyes, I know that the reality is even more terrifying than imagined.
At the end of April, I arrived in Yangsu. In the same month, Wuxu invaded from the north, and today he sent generals to fight against the northern wolves. I thought that there was a disparity in power between the two sides. Who would have thought that this fierce battle has been fought for a full year.