The houses in Jinyang are completely different from those in Tokyo and Yangzhou. Most of them have gable roofs with narrow eaves. This is probably because of the less rainy and more windy climate in Hedong.
In Hongying's eyes, even though this place was the residence of a famous general of the Northern Han Dynasty, the environment was still very poor, but she didn't care. Women naturally like elegant or luxurious environments, but Hongying has seen a lot of them and doesn't care much about such things; in comparison, what makes her even more unbearable in Tokyo is boredom. A person with broken legs, a woman, staying in the house all day, that kind of boredom is very unbearable.
This time she came to Northern Han voluntarily, and no one forced her. The Khitans had given her a brutal nightmare, and they had harmed her like this, so of course she hated them; but hatred was not the only reason why she was willing to come to Northern Han. Another reason was that she simply wanted to come, and that was that it was too boring to be in Tokyo.
Hongying stayed in the room for a while, then she got up, found a piece of cloth, and slowly tidied the room. Of course, she had no interest in tidying the room. If she liked doing this, why would she learn to play the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting
She did these virtuous things because Yang Ye was coming soon.
If Yang Ye had no interest in her, she would be willing to give up a good horse worth 200 strings of cash. Hongying had never been a prostitute, but as a concubine, she had seen men before and understood men's minds too well. People like Yang Ye obviously had the style of the official family in the vanity fair. He was very cautious; but he was also very young and strong, and he was hot-blooded. It was impossible for him not to be passionate about beautiful women.
If Hongying was asked to do this kind of table-wiping work at Chen Jiali's house, she would feel that it was a very boring job because there were servants to do it. But now, she did not feel bored, and was very patient because she was looking forward to it.
Everyone is acting, but sometimes the acting is deliberately arranged, just like the encounter with Yang Ye. It was a pre-prepared play, but it was really performed. If Hongying had not seen it herself, she would have never heard of this method; usually, spies or beauty traps are sent directly, so how could they be so detailed? Anyway, Hongying had never seen it before, and I'm afraid Yang Ye would not have thought of it either.
Because of Taizhen, Hongying herself was immersed in the play. At the door of the brothel, she was sold here and there and begged desperately. Suddenly, she felt very sad for the woman, and her tears were quite real. Hongying sighed, thinking that she would never encounter such a thing. She was slightly comforted that Chen Jiali was still a very kind person to her people and would never sell her to the brothel. Besides, this time she was working for the emperor of the court, and the emperor would never ignore her credit.
At this moment, Yang Ye pushed the door open and walked in. Hongying's face lit up with joy, and she turned around hastily with excitement and shyness, then bowed her head and said, "I have met General Yang."
Yang Ye said expressionlessly: I am used to living here.
Hongying hurriedly said: It is my blessing to be able to live in General Yang's mansion. There is no better place than this.
Yang Ye's face remained expressionless, but Hong Ying could sense that he was enjoying it. A person of this status would not be unhappy if others admired what he had; on the contrary, if they talked about what he didn't have, that would be looking for trouble.
Yang Ye added: You used to live in a merchant's family, and you had to do this kind of housework. He particularly emphasized the word merchant, even if he was dressed in fine clothes and fed with delicious food, he was still a businessman.
Hongying didn't care at all, and of course she wouldn't argue. She replied softly: "If Alang likes me, I don't have to do it; if he doesn't like me, I'm just like a servant. But in General Yang's house, I am very willing to serve you tea and water, and do my best to repay you."
Hum. Yang Ye sat down on the chair. Hongying happily made tea for him again.
Yang Ye sat there, stroking the water surface with the cup lid, and said seriously: I came here today to ask about your origins.
Please tell me, sir. I won't dare to hide a single word.
When Hong Ying first heard this, she felt a little nervous, after all, she felt guilty. But she soon felt relieved and understood what it meant. In fact, Yang Ye didn't doubt her at all, but he was anxious to see her, so he had to find a reason. Interrogating her identity was a good excuse.
In Hongying's opinion, this kind of man is quite down-to-earth. He is not the kind of man who uses sweet words to flatter a beautiful woman he likes. Such a man is so nice when he likes her that he becomes sick of her, and usually discards her like a worn-out shoe when he is tired of her. Yang Ye is obviously not like that. There are no outsiders here, but he is still so secretive and can't let go. He seems to be seldom close to women and is a little shy. Yang Ye's shyness is an excuse to cover up.
But a man like Yang Ye is not reliable. He cares more about his reputation, and women do not hold an important position in his heart.
But Yang Ye was still pretty good. He was a kind and compassionate person, so he helped. In this respect, he was better than most dignitaries in the world. In fact, how many pragmatic men in the world think that women are important? Unless they are married, they have something in common to bind them together. If Hongying was a young girl who had not experienced much in the world, she would probably believe it, but she was not.
A man like Yang Ye, although he has good conditions, has nothing to do with Hongying. He does not belong to Hongying and does not know how to please a woman. People care most about themselves, even Hongying, who has a very low status. Yang Ye always wants to show how high his status is and how upright he is, but ignores Hongying's feelings. How can he win Hongying's heart
Hongying, however, only wanted to hold him in high esteem and make him happy because it was she who needed Yang Ye, not that Yang Ye could not let her go.
Yang Ye quickly asked the first question: How did your feet become disabled
Hongying suddenly looked miserable, and sighed: "My master is a merchant from Yangzhou, surnamed Shen. Once he led a group of merchants to Youzhou, and was robbed by the Khitans. He had been there several times before, and nothing happened. That time, the business was very big, so my master went there in person, and took me and my two sisters with him. My elder sister had been tortured to death by the Khitans. I was driven to the red-hot charcoal by them for fun, and my feet were burned and almost roasted. I had to have them sawed off to survive." As she spoke, she shook her head, her face pale. Because it was not made up, but a true story, like a nightmare deeply engraved in my heart.
After hearing this, Yang Ye looked angry and was obviously dissatisfied with the Khitans.
Hongying heard from Chen Jiali that although Northern Han was an ally of Khitan, it was not really on good terms with Khitan, but just needed to use each other. In fact, both the court and the people of Northern Han had no good feelings towards Liao people.
Hongying was silent for a moment and then said: After I was redeemed, I was unable to return to Yangzhou. I stayed in Hebei for a while and then went to Jinyang. Later, because the Shen family lost its head and was not doing well, and because of the huge losses in Youzhou, they could not pay off their foreign debts, so they cleared out all the valuables except the ancestral house and gave them to the creditors. I was in Jinyang and was not spared.
She started to cry after saying this. I have become like this and will be sold to a brothel. I originally wanted to die.
Yang Ye was both annoyed and sympathetic, and said: It's really tragic.
Hongying glanced at him secretly, took two steps forward with the help of her crutches, knelt in front of Yang Ye, and said with a sob: Fortunately, my benefactor came to my rescue.
Never mind. Yang Ye said calmly, it's just a small favor, doing good deeds is never a bad thing.
Hongying whispered: This concubine is also a blessing in disguise. If I had not been sold to such a dirty place, how could I have met General Yang, who is so young, holds a high position, is upright, and has a handsome appearance.
After hearing this, Yang Ye reached out his hand to help Hongying: You are also a poor person, there is no need to be polite, just get up.
Hongying blushed when her arm was touched. It had been a long time since she had been in contact with a man. A man like Yang Ye certainly did not disgust her. But he touched her once, then retracted his hand and asked seriously: By the way, your name is Hong
In reply to my benefactor, my name is Hongying.
Hongying still felt a little bit worse. The other party was so serious, pretending not to have any desire at all, and even forgot her name. Hongying knew that her status was low, but with such a feeling, how could she be in the mood for intimacy
Yang Ye seemed to be a gentleman who was not interested in women and was very noble and respectable. However, Hong Ying felt that she was a slut. That feeling was an intuition or an illusion, as if she was not attractive as a woman, which was a big blow to her. It was like she was in the prostitution business, exchanging herself for other things. Anyway, she was basically in no mood at all.
She had no impulse or emotion and became very calm. She knew in her heart that she was indeed selling herself in exchange for something.
She said softly: I don't know how to repay my benefactor's kindness.
Just when she said this, she wanted to stand up, but her artificial feet were not stable, and she immediately fell into Yang Ye's arms, and her soft and fragrant body was pressed against Yang Ye. Hongying hurriedly said: Oh, I didn't mean it.
Yang Ye supported her, his face a little red: Go slower.
Hongying said softly: I want to get close to General Yang, but I know you are a gentleman. I respect and adore you. It's all my fault that I can't help myself. I hope you won't hate me.
No, no. Yang Ye’s breathing also became rapid.
Hongying continued to tell the story, also to dispel his worries: I was bought by General Yang, whether I am a concubine or a servant, I just belong to you. It is natural for me to serve Alang, and I am very happy to repay General Yang in this way, as long as you don't mind.
Yang Ye said: I despise it.
Hongying lowered her head and said: I dislike my disability, I know I am not good enough
In fact, she just has no feet, which may not be very useful in daily life, but she is very beautiful in other places and is not bad for sleeping with others.
Hongying had taken the initiative and it was obvious, but Yang Ye remained still. She said again: My feet hurt a little, General Yang, can you carry me to the bed to rest for a while