Geng Jie took Yang Zhirou to Dongshi Street in Dongcheng, as soon as he entered Dongshi Street, Yang Zhirou saw a four-story restaurant, although there are not many exquisite restaurants like this, but it is not nothing, but Yang Zhirou was still surprised, not because of this building, but because of the plaque hanging on this building, the plaque reads: "Four Buildings Yang Zhirou turned his head and asked Geng Jie: "Isn't this four-sided building from Southern Qi?" How did you get to the capital of Soochow? ”

"Miss, these four-sided buildings have been all over the world in the previous dynasty, and later after the six heroes divided the world, the head of the Su family announced that the four-sided building would pay high taxes to the country where it is located, so although the head of the Su family was an official in Southern Qi, the four-sided building was not seized by other monarchs, because the taxes on the four-sided building were very high. Of course, Bafanglou also learned from the head of the Su family to open this condition, but because it started late, it did not bloom everywhere like the four-sided building. Since then, however, each family has used this method to open its own stores in various countries, and the emperors of various countries have not stopped much in order to pay considerable taxes. ”

"Well, the most daring of these merchants will always be merchants, and those merchants who are not only bold but also thoughtful will still be there even if the emperor is gone."

"The young lady seems to have a high opinion of this businessman." Geng Jie asked.

"What? Is there discrimination against businessmen here? Yang Zhirou raised her eyebrows and asked.

"It's not discrimination, but it doesn't take it too seriously, this businessman has always been mercenary, so... The Su family and the merchant also became famous all over the world when one became an official and the other climbed to the imperial family. Geng Jie saw that Yang Zhirou's face was not good, and said tactfully.

"That's not discrimination, although this wealth does not represent everything, but something is better than nothing, this businessman is more profitable than this ruler is power, and the scholar is the same as the name, what kind of food and clothing you can do without the businessman, the same way, the businessman is also inseparable from the ruler and you scholars to maintain the governance of the country, everything has two sides, I hope you will learn to analyze in the future, don't follow the clouds. Got it? Yang Zhirou said to Geng Jie.

Geng Jie blushed and replied, "Yes, miss." ”

Geng Jie, who lowered his head, suddenly remembered something, raised his head and asked, "Miss, I heard Huzi say, you asked him to inquire about the shop, does Miss want to do business?" ”

"Well, there are some ideas. But it depends on how I talk to King Yingchuan tomorrow," Yang Zhirou frowned.

Although Geng Jie was curious about why Miss had to meet King Yingchuan, when the time came, Miss would explain to herself, so she didn't ask too much.

Walk along Dongshi Street to the end, see a place similar to the ancient government, white walls and black doors, there are soldier handles at the door, although the main gate is wide open, no one enters or exits, but the side door, from time to time someone with some ragged people from both sides of the side door out, those people are very different in age, there are old people who look almost ancient, there are children less than ten years old, but without exception skinny, they all bow their heads and follow the people in front.

The man who led them away stopped in front of a large carriage, turned his head and said to these people: "I bought you today and went back to serve the master, is it your creation, do you know, not all the people who walked out of this white-walled courtyard are so lucky, give me honesty when you come to the house, otherwise I can buy you back, and I can also send you back." ”

When the man heard this, they all knelt down and kowtowed vigorously, saying things like they would be absolutely obedient.

Geng Jie explained to Yang Zhirou: "This is the place where the official family sells slaves, this place has existed in the previous dynasty, and there is a capital in every state, and it is managed by the household department here, because it is a business of buying and selling human beings, so there is no plaque, white walls and black doors, so everyone calls this place ' Most of the people who can be released by the Criminal Department or various government offices are people who have not committed any major crimes but cannot be released, they are taken in through this black gate, and then they are bought by those officials or wealthy businessmen who want to use people and brought out from this side door, which can be regarded as a new person. ”

Yang Zhirou shook his head, sighed at the cheapness of this ancient human life, and asked Geng Jie: "Then which door do we enter from?" ”

"Buyers enter through the gate, and after paying the money, they can pick people."

Yang Zhirou was speechless, this is still self-help.

Geng Jie took Yang Zhirou into the door, registered in Geng Jie's name, and paid a deposit of one hundred taels, this is the rule here, the people here are clearly marked with the price, and the silver is refunded and the deficiency is compensated. Then the people from the registration office took Yang Zhirou and Geng Jie to the back hall, there were no rooms in the back hall, all of them were cells one by one, and there was a passage to the ground at the end.

The man said to Yang Zhirou: "Four taels for women, six taels for men, two taels for the elderly and children, pick and choose, which one you like and the cell boss will bring people out for you." Just pick it out and check out at the door. Then he explained to the cell boss and asked him to help Yang Zhirou arrange them. And then it was gone.

Yang Zhirou frowned, although he had seen refugees in his previous life, but he was far from being so miserable, these people no longer had the dignity of being a human being, although they were not born slaves, but because of their current situation, they were more or less servile, the people in the cell looked at Yang Zhirou and Geng Jie in the middle of the courtyard with a hopeful face, and saw Yang Zhirou looking at them one by one and shouting excitedly: "Miss, Miss, buy me back, I'm willing to do anything, Miss buy me..."

Yang Zhirou did not move, but glanced at the cells in the courtyard in the circle, and then pointed to the innermost cell and said to the guard, "Open this door." ”

The guard listened to the order to open the door, Yang Zhirou walked over, raised his feet into the cell, and slowly walked to the corner. A little girl, who looked the size of Yang Zhirou now, was shivering with her head against the wall, as if she was very cold. “

Yang Zhirou said to her, "Would you like to go back with me?" ”

The woman heard the voice, turned around, and raised her head to look at Yang Zhirou.

Yang Zhirou saw her appearance clearly, although the clothes on her body were dirty at the age of thirteen or fourteen, her face was very clean, and her appearance was ordinary, but she had a pair of clear and beautiful eyes.

Yang Zhirou glanced around just now, and all the people shouted at Yang Zhirou through the prison door. Only she hid in the corner and shivered, which reminded Yang Zhirou of herself in her previous life, every time someone from the orphanage came to adopt, all the children tried their best to show their cute side, only she sat in the corner, alone and uneasy.

The cell boss next to him looked at the woman staring at Yang Zhirou and was stunned, and said loudly: "Hey, I said why are you stunned, stupid?" Don't want to go out? ”

The woman reacted when she heard this, but she still didn't answer Yang Zhirou, but lowered her head and read: "My brother, my brother"

Yang Zhirou frowned.

The cell boss saw Yang Zhirou frowning and hurriedly explained: "This child also has a younger brother, who was sent in together, but it was almost impossible when he was sent in." ”

"Oh? So where is he now? ”

"This..."The old man hesitated for a moment and said: "You also know that we are here to do things for the imperial court, although there are a few people who have been sent in, but no one will blame them for the death, so we will not bother to take care of the sick or disobedient, and they are all locked up underground." ”

Yang Zhirou said to the little girl: "I will take your brother back, are you willing to follow me in the future?" ”

The girl looked at Yang Zhirou in disbelief, and then kowtowed to Yang Zhirou fiercely: "Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss, if Miss is willing to save my brother out, even if it kills me now." ”

Yang Zhirou smiled: "What do I want your life for, as long as you are loyal to me in the future." Then he turned to the cell boss and said, "The people here want her, so take me underground." ”

"Huh?! This young lady, you can think about it, this child's younger brother is not lightly ill, even if he goes to the Fu Divine Doctor, he may not be able to save it, this is a loss-making deal. The old man seemed to be quite concerned about Yang Zhirou.

"You don't have to worry about this, take me to the basement."

Seeing Yang Zhirou's insistence, the cell boss stopped persuading, and selling the person who was about to die was profitable, and it was a credit for him.

Yang Zhirou was taken into the basement by the cell boss, and as soon as he entered, he smelled a rotten smell, Yang Zhirou once lived in a room with a stinky corpse for three days and three nights in his previous life, so he was immune to this sour and rotten gas, but Geng Jie was a little unbearable, and he couldn't stop retching as soon as he came in, Yang Zhirou patted him and said, "You go out first." ”

"It's okay miss, I can do it, vomit..."

Yang Zhirou was speechless.

Geng Jie blushed and said, "Then I'll wait for Miss outside." ”

Yang Zhirou nodded and followed the cell head to continue walking inside, walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open a door, the vision was instantly wide, but it was just open, the appearance inside this door was not a view, compared with the cell, it was more like a torture room, several people were hanged, and a few people were tied to wooden stakes, among them there was also a woman, Yang Zhirou raised her eyebrows.

Continuing inside, there was a row of rudimentary wooden beds on which lay several children, all dying.

The cell boss went to the innermost point and came out with a seven or eight-year-old child in his arms, and the child's pale face felt like it was going to disappear at any moment.

The cell boss took the child to Yang Zhirou and said to Yang Zhirou: "This is the child's younger brother, you see I didn't lie to you, it's almost out of gas, what are you going to do when you buy it." "At this time, I don't forget to persuade.

Yang Zhirou looked at it, reached out and touched the lower pulse, and there was salvation.

Then he said to the cell boss, "I want it, make an offer." ”

The cell boss looked at the child and said, "Forget it, they are all sick and dying, no one has ever come here to pick people before, and the price has not been set, you can take it away." ”

Yang Zhirou suddenly thought of the people at the door, and then asked the cell leader: "What's going on at the door?" ”

The cell boss sneered and said: "Those, I don't know what to think, entering the yamen can be sent here is already considered a creation, they are making trouble every day, I really don't know how thick the sky is, a few days ago, there was also a person who came to buy someone and injured me and wanted to escape, but I was arrested after not walking a few steps, it was just looking for death!" ”

Yang Zhirou's curiosity was completely aroused, and he asked, "Which one?" ”

"Not here, that person is too noisy, locked up alone."

"Take me to see it."

"Huh?!" The cell boss thinks this little girl is just nonsense, and she doesn't want to buy that madman back.

Yang Zhirou took out five taels of silver from his sleeve and gave it to the cell leader, and said: "Take me with me, I found the person I wanted, and the money will belong to you, of course, I will pay for the money that bought the person." ”

The cell boss immediately smiled and said to Yang Zhirou: "Okay, you come with me." ”

He put the child on the wooden bed and then took Yang Zhirou to the back of the wooden bed, behind which there was a passage with several iron doors at the end of the passage. There was only a palm-sized window at the bottom of the iron door, which was probably used for ventilation.

The cell boss explained to Yang Zhirou: "The people locked up here have some leg and foot skills, and if they are powerful, they have to be drugged to settle down, but it's not easy to serve." ”

As he spoke, a hand suddenly stretched out from the small window of the first door, and he was about to grasp the leg of his head.

The cell boss first screamed, and then scolded: "The little rabbit cub scared Lao Tzu to death, you don't have long eyes, and finally someone is willing to ask you, and when you scare people away, you just wait here to die." ”

The corners of Yang Zhirou's mouth twitched, was she so easily scared away.

The cell boss scolded and walked to the last door, took the key and opened the door lock, the door lock had just been opened, and suddenly a man rushed out of it, with a cloak that could not be seen clearly, about 1.8 meters tall, and the clothes on his body did not know whether it was because he was too thin or did not fit in the first place, and he looked extraordinarily wide.

Yang Zhirou picked up a stone on the ground with his foot and kicked him in the knee when he was about to rush to himself, the man snorted in pain and then fell, and the cell head got up from the ground and came over and punched and kicked the man.

Yang Zhirou couldn't look at it, and said to the cell head: "Okay, don't fight, I want this person, and how many people are in this dungeon, you tied them up for me and brought them out, I want them all." The cell boss thought that he had misheard, so he stopped and said to Yang Zhirou: "Miss, don't be joking, I can understand if you want one or two, it's all about it, and you can't mess around when you take it back to your mansion." ”

Yang Zhirou said with a smile: "It's not your responsibility to make this mess, you just need to bring everyone out for me, and I'll give it to you at the price of people outside, what do you think." ”

The cell boss really didn't know what to say this time, but if he didn't make money, he would definitely be scolded when he turned back, so he hurriedly called someone to Yang Zhirou to take everyone out.