In early autumn, the scorching sun of summer seemed to have not subsided at all, but Jinyang of the Northern Han Dynasty was located north of the Yellow River, and the coolness of autumn could already be felt in the wind. On Huanghua Street in the inner city of Jinyang, Yang Ye, a burly young man wearing a thin linen cap, was riding slowly on his horse.
Yang Ye was not someone you would easily mess with, not only because of his tall stature, but also because of the look on his broad face and the gaze in his eyes, which were not something you would expect from an honest man. However, he was not ostentatious, and the clothes he wore were all old and a little wrinkled; he didn't have anything valuable on him.
But it's not that he doesn't like money, he just doesn't like to show off. In fact, his family is very solid, and he thinks that only things that are truly acquired are reliable, and only by owning real things can he maintain the demeanor of a real man.
There were only two followers with no hats and buns around him, walking slowly with him. Yang Ye was not a fierce and domineering person. He was very pragmatic. At the street corner in front, a very old yellow locust tree appeared in sight. Yang Ye was very familiar with it. In fact, this street was called Huanghua Street because the yellow locust tree bloomed yellow flowers.
What a peaceful and leisurely afternoon! The breeze brought the fragrance of small flowers from the yellow acacia trees. There were not many pedestrians on the street, and Yang Ye's mood also became relaxed.
At this time, a carriage stopped at a gate under the yellow flower tree. A man and a woman got off the carriage, and then a woman was dragged out of the carriage. The woman was not escorted away, but was almost lifted up and carried to the gate. The woman seemed very reluctant and was struggling. She said: "Manager Li, please forgive me, I won't go to that kind of place, please." Her accent was full of the soft Wu dialect of the Jiangnan area, and her voice sounded particularly pitiful.
As soon as she opened her mouth, passers-by stopped to watch. People love to see strange things. This thing was obviously very strange, because the door was the door of a brothel, and the woman was very beautiful and did not have a local accent. Everything about her was a little different from the norm.
Mother, forcing a good woman into prostitution in broad daylight! One of Yang Ye's followers cursed.
Yang Ye did not say anything, as he always did, he did not want to cause trouble. But he was indeed curious, so he rode his horse a few steps and stopped to watch.
The young lady begged: "Manager Li, please be kind and sell me to a poor family. I really don't want to be a prostitute. Please, be kind."
Yang Ye saw that this girl was really pretty, not like the ordinary girls in Hedong. There were also beautiful girls in Hedong, but they ate millet and were exposed to heavy wind and sand, so their skin couldn't be so clear. The girl's beautiful face had a charming aura, delicate skin, slim figure, and a gentle demeanor like the mist in the south of the Yangtze River.
Yang Ye was at his age, full of passion and enthusiasm, so of course he liked beautiful women. However, he was a prudent man and not a lustful person, so he did not act rashly for the time being.
The passers-by around couldn't hold back their anger. Seeing such a beautiful woman being forced into prostitution, some people couldn't help themselves. Someone in the crowd shouted: What's the meaning? Is there any law? How dare they force good women into prostitution so blatantly
This was also the question in Yang Ye's mind, so he felt that this matter was strange.
The man who was holding the girl finally didn't dare to offend the crowd, and let her go. The girl stumbled and fell, and hurriedly supported the woman on the other side. The man turned to the crowd and said: Someone owes us money, and we give him real money and written evidence. Isn't it natural for debtors to pay back the money
This is such an obvious truth that no one can refute it.
The man continued: "But he can't pay the money back, so he uses his family's belongings to pay off the debt. This woman is his concubine, so does she count as his property? Now she is being used to pay off the debt. If we sell her to make up for the loss, will that be against the law?"
Everyone was speechless, but still angry. After all, the truth was one thing, and the fact that it was done so ugly was another, a bit too extreme. Yang Ye also felt the same way, so he still felt it was unusual.
So the man carried the girl and continued to walk forward. At this moment, a man in a brocade robe strode up and blocked their way. The man in the brocade robe swung the paper fan in his hand, brushed his sleeves elegantly, stood there with his head held high, and looked up at the sky with great pride.
What do you mean? The man who was holding the girl frowned.
The man in brocade robe said: How much does a brothel charge
The man named Manager Li said: Twenty strings of cash.
The man in brocade robe said: I bought it.
Although the common people disliked the attitude of the man in brocade robe, they didn't say anything after all, selling the young lady to him was better than working as a waiter in a brothel.
The man in brocade robe reached into his purse to feel for the gold, but Manager Li said, "My dear, you can buy it for two hundred strings of cash."
The man in brocade robe was furious and said with wide eyes: What do you mean? From your accent, you don't seem to be from Jinyang. I advise you to leave some room for maneuver when doing things.
Manager Li said: "We have never drank together with the people from the Jinyang government. We certainly don't mean to bully people, but when this woman mortgaged her to us, she was paid 200 strings of cash."
The man in brocade robe said: "Since it is worth 200 strings of cash, you can sell it for 20 strings of cash."
Manager Li said coldly: Because she is not worth 200 strings of cash. After saying that, he roughly lifted the girl's skirt, and saw that her feet were very strange, a pair of wooden ones. Everyone stretched their necks to look, and said: The feet are fake. This woman has no feet, she is disabled.
The man in brocade robe was also stunned.
So if it is 20 guan, it must be sold in the brothel. Manager Li said, if this gentleman can pay 200 guan to pay off the debt, I will be happy to give it to him.
The man in brocade robes hesitated for a moment, and was about to leave quietly. Unexpectedly, the young lady immediately knelt on the ground, crawled over and hugged the man's ankles, tears streaming down her face: "Sir, please buy me. I will repay you for your kindness by working like a cow or a horse."
The man in brocade robe shook his head and whispered: Two hundred strings of cash is indeed not a small amount.
The young lady said: "You are from a wealthy family, so you must have enough money. Just treat it as a good deed."
After seeing this, Yang Ye felt that everything was reasonable and logical, so he was no longer curious about why the manager Li was resentful because he couldn't collect the debt and felt at a loss, so he had to sell the concubine to a brothel. This was understandable. After all, in this world, there are very few people who would do something ugly for no reason.
At this time, the man in brocade robe wanted to withdraw: It's not that I don't have good intentions, but doing a good deed requires two hundred strings of cash, which I really can't afford.
The young lady hugged him tightly, as if she had grabbed someone to save her life, and begged: I will make myself worthy of the two hundred strings of cash. I can play the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and I can serve people. Just treat me as a slave. Even if you buy me, I will be yours. I am just one of your things.
This sentence seemed to be said to Yang Ye, at least he was already a little moved. On the one hand, although this young woman was a little expensive and disabled, she didn't want anything from him, just some food, so she wasn't a burden; on the other hand, a beautiful and pitiful woman, Yang Ye felt that a real man should protect such a person, a man's courage and compassion influenced him.
After a moment, Yang Ye turned around and whispered: Take my mount over and ask the man if he is willing to exchange it.
The attendant was overjoyed, and he had probably wanted to help the poor girl for a long time. He waited for Yang Ye to dismount, and then led the horse over to the men. The attendant asked, "Brother, do you think this horse is worth two hundred strings of cash?"
The man glared at it, then grabbed the horse's mouth, opened it and took a look, then said seriously: You mean, use this horse to exchange for a person
That's what I mean, the follower said calmly.
Although Manager Li pretended to be expressionless, the red glow on his face revealed his joy.
The attendant handed over the reins: We don't like any more nonsense, so it's a deal.
The young girl immediately turned over on the ground and cried, "Thank you for your great kindness, sir."
The people around saw this and cheered loudly: Congratulations to the warrior for getting the beauty back!
The attendant laughed and said: I dare not accept such a great gift.
At this time, another man came over with a horse and helped the girl up. The two of them lifted her onto the horse's back. The girl was so frightened that her face turned pale and she said in a trembling voice: "I don't know how to ride a horse." The man next to her said: "Just hold on to the saddle, put your feet on the stirrups, and we will lead you."
The two men took the young lady on horseback and walked towards the street corner. When they turned a corner, they saw another burly young man with a broad face waiting there on horseback. The young lady looked at him blankly.
The attendant said: I didn’t dare to accept the gift of thanks just now because the benefactor was not me, but our lord.
The young lady was very grateful after hearing this and wanted to dismount and salute. Yang Ye hurriedly rode up to stop her and said, "Be careful, you don't know how to ride a horse, so forget about the salute."
"My benefactor is my master, and I will repay him wholeheartedly in the future," said the young lady.
Humph. Yang Ye seemed very indifferent, and said nothing, just saying, "Let's go."
The young lady rode on the horse and was led slowly. After a while, she asked cautiously: "I haven't asked for your name yet, sir."
Yang Ye said: Liu Jiye.
Liu Jiye, you are Yang Wudi, Miss Yang exclaimed in surprise.
Hum. Yang Ye only made one sound again.
The young lady said: I have heard of your name for a long time. You are a world-famous hero.
Yang Ye said: It's just an empty title.
The attendant laughed and said: I remember the guy in the brocade robe just now, who talked and sang for a long time and was reluctant to give up the two hundred strings of cash. Haha, it's our lord, this is a real character.
The young lady said shyly: My name is Hongying.