"My lord, catch a spy!" Ma Wu escorted a short and fat man into the signing room of Zhou Fulai. yuan

Zhou Fulai raised his eyes and saw that he knew this short and fat man. He is a miscellaneous servant of the Salt Courtyard, and he specializes in doing miscellaneous work in the salt patrol imperial history signing room, named Duan Xiuzheng.

"Spare your life! Spare your life! Duan Xiuzheng saw Zhou Fulai and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"My lord, this kid just overheard your conversation with the adult just now." Ma Wu reported.

"No, no, the villain is here to bring tea to the adults." Duan Xiuzheng flatly denied it.

"Someone else's his, he's just eavesdropping, delivering tea and hiding under the window for so long?" Ma Wu said, and then added: "On the first day we came, we found you eavesdropping under the window, and I noticed you a long time ago!" ”

When Duan Xiuzheng heard Ma Wu say this, he knew that his identity was exposed, so he was so frightened that he kowtowed again, and kept saying, "My lord, spare my life!" Spare your life! It's the little money fans who are confused for a while, and the little ones don't dare anymore. ”

"Tell me, who told you to do this?" Zhou Fulai was not angry, and asked slowly.

Duan Xiuzheng said with a bitter face: "This ...... The small one can't be said. ”

"Huh?" Zhou Fulai pulled a long voice and hummed, and then said to Ma Wu: "You teach him what to do!" ”

Ma Wu took out his waist knife and put it on his neck: "Say it or not, don't say I'll cut off one of your ears first!" ”

Duan Xiuzheng was so frightened that he covered his ears with his hands and shouted, "Don't don't, I say I'll say!" ”

"Then let's talk about it." Zhou Fulai said quietly.

"It was Liu Cai, the housekeeper of the Lu Mansion, who asked me to do it." Duan Xiuzheng said in a low voice.

"Lu Fu? Which Lu Mansion? ”

"It's the salt merchant Lu Jie." Duan Xiuzheng replied.

"How much silver did he give you?" Zhou Fu asked.

"Ten taels of silver a month."

"Sold yourself for ten taels of silver? You're a! Zhou Fulai sneered, and then asked him: "Give you two ways, do you want to die or live?" ”

"If you want to live, please tell me." Duan Xiuzheng still has a choice at this time. He knew that he had to do what the adults told him to do.

"If you want to live, you have to do what I say, and then send a message to the Lu family in the future, and you will say whatever I tell you to say. If you are wrong, I will arrest you for stealing court secrets. Zhou Fulai threatened.

"Don't dare, I listen to you. I'll say whatever you tell me to say in the future. Duan Xiuzheng said with an oath.

After that, Zhou Fulai called his long-term attendant Lin Hongcun, recorded Duan Xiuzheng's confession, and then asked him to press his handprint. In the end, Zhou Fulai said to him again: "This confession will be kept here for me, if you don't do what I say, just rely on this confession, I can arrest you at any time." ”

"Don't dare, the little ones will listen to the adults in the future."

"What are you going to do if you stay here in the future, get out!" Zhou Fulai shouted at him.

After Duan Xiuzheng left, Ma Wu asked Zhou Fulai: "My lord, is he so cheap?" ”

Zhou Fulai said confidently: "This official keeps him useful." Keep an eye on him, don't let him out of the sight of your guards! ”

"Don't worry, I'll send someone to watch and stare at him! Even the thatched house won't let him out of our sight! Ma Wu patted his chest and said.

At this time, Lin Hongcun reminded him: "My lord, I don't think this person can be by your side anymore, be careful of him harming your lord." ”

Zhou Fu smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, he doesn't dare with his guts!"

Now that the guards are watching, he doesn't have the courage to do it, and he doesn't have this opportunity! ”

On the eighteenth day of the lunar month, a woman with a good face knelt on the ground in the living room of the Lu Mansion, and Lu Jie sat on a chair and asked her gently: "Girl, what is your name?" ”

The woman replied in a low voice, "Xiangmei." ”

"How old are you?"

"I'll be eighteen after the New Year." Xiangmei still replied in a low voice.

"Get up and speak."

"Xiangmei doesn't dare."

"Master let you get up, you just get up."

Xiangmei stood up and stood in front of Lu Jie with her head down. Lu Jie said softly again: "Raise your head and let the master take a good look at you." ”

Xiangmei meekly raised her head. Lu Jie saw Xiangmei's fair and delicate face, with a bumpy figure and moderate fat and thinness. sighed in my heart, what a Peugeot woman, but unfortunately it was cheaper than Zhou Fulai.

"Do you know what the master bought you for?" Lu Jie then asked her gently.

"Be a concubine." Xiangmei replied shyly with her head down.

"Hahaha......" Lu Jie laughed and said: "Miss Xiangmei, you think wrong, Master Ben didn't let you be a concubine, but asked you to serve a young adult." ”

Xiangmei thought to herself, isn't that still a concubine? But it's better to be a young man's concubine than a bad old man's concubine.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, some old prostitutes and women could no longer continue to engage in their previous livelihood after they became old. In order to make a living, they went to the people to buy girls from poor families, selected the ones with good colors, and taught them to play the piano, chess, painting, singing and dancing musical instruments from an early age, and all kinds of skills will be pointed. From an early age, he was taught how to dress up and how to please men. When they grew up, they sold them to salt merchants or other big merchants as concubines, or as kabuki in Fuchu, and such women were called thin horses.

Xiangmei is the thin horse that Lu Jie bought for 1,500 taels of silver. Her parents died when she was a child, and she was later sold by her aunt to become a skinny horse.

Xiangmei knew her situation very well, and from the time she was sold, she knew that being a concubine might be the best place for her. At this moment, she could only whisper: "Xiangmei is all arranged by the master." ”

"Good!" Lu Jie said with satisfaction, and then said, "After you get to that adult, you have to serve him well." ”

"Yes, sir! Xiangmei has been serving people since elementary school. When Xiangmei heard that she was really asked to be a concubine, she immediately agreed.

Lu Jie stared at Xiangmei and said: "But this deed of sale of yours is placed here with me first, after you get to his side, you must remember his words and deeds, what he does every day, and who he meets, you have to inquire clearly." ”

Xiangmei was shocked, where is this for me to be a concubine, this is for me to be the eyeliner of the old man in front of me. resisted in his heart, so he had to say: "Xiangmei doesn't dare, and Xiangmei can't do it." ”

Lu Jie was patient, and still said softly: "You don't have to be afraid, you don't need to meet me in the future, there is a handyman by the side of that adult, he will contact you at that time, you just need to tell him the news, nothing will happen, even if there is something, you will not be suspected." After a year, when you come back, I will change you to a good name, and then find a good family to marry you like a leap girl. ”

As soon as these words came out, Xiangmei was a little moved, after all, this is a very tempting road, although it is a little risky. But it doesn't sound like much danger. She asked, "What the master said is true?" ”

"Of course it's true. This adult leaves office in a year, and then you will be free. Lu Jie comforted.

"But how am I going to get out in a year?" Xiangmei timidly raised her own questions.

Lu Jie smiled confidently: "That adult has a wife in Beijing, he doesn't dare to treat you again."

Went to Beijing. ”

When Xiangmei heard this, she was completely relieved. said to Lu Jie: "Xiangmei just obeys the master's arrangement." ”

"Yes." Lu Jie saw that Xiangmei agreed, and said happily: "I know that Miss Xiangmei is a smart person. But to think of him, you need some means. You're going to ...... like this."

On the twentieth day of the lunar month, Zhou Fulai took the guards to Taizhou on a business trip, and when they came back, it was already in the afternoon, and when they walked to the outskirts of Yangzhou, they heard a woman shouting "help".

Xu Detian, who was riding on a horse, heard the shout and immediately drew his knife to guard against it. At the same time, he commanded: "Protect your lord!" Beware of the tricks of the villains. ”

He was very guarded. Although there were cries for help, his first thought was that someone was cheating.

At the same time, Zhou Fulai, who was sitting in the sedan chair, heard the shouting and told the sedan chair driver to stop the sedan chair. pressed the sedan car and got off the sedan car, and then asked the guards: "What's the matter, who is calling for help?" ”

"My lord, I heard a woman in front of me calling for help." Xu Detian replied.

"Go check it out!" Zhou Fulai said urgently.

"Your safety, my lord, ......"

"I'm fine, what are so many people afraid of!" Zhou Fulai interrupted him and said urgently.

"Liu Yuanji, come with me. Others are in place to protect the adults. Xu Detian ordered.

Immediately, the two of them drove their horses away. At the same time, a woman ran out of the dead grass on the bank of the river in front of me. When he saw someone riding a horse running, he shouted, "Help!" Help me......"

At this moment, several men in black armed with steel knives rushed out of the grass and chased after the woman. Suddenly, a large group of men and horses were in front of him, and two of them rode up to catch up. The men in black immediately turned around and sped towards the river, then jumped into a small boat and rowed away.

At this time, Zhou Fu saw that the gangsters had fled, so he quickly rushed up with the guards.

Everyone saw that although this woman was disheveled, she was very young and very beautiful, and there was some charm in her bones.

Zhou Fulai asked the woman: "What is your name, and why are those people chasing you?" ”

When the woman saw Zhou Fu coming to ask her, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Lord for saving me!" The little woman's name is Xiangmei, and she is from Yangzhou. He had no parents since he was a child, and was later sold by his aunt to become a skinny horse. Today I was bought by a man again, and I found out halfway through that the man was some water bandits, and they were a group of several people, and I overheard that they were going to the sea to beg for a living, and I ran out in fear, and then you rescued them. ”

When Zhou Fulai heard this, he believed it. sighed: "Another hard worker." It's getting dark, you better go back to Yangzhou City with me, and I'll send you back. ”

Xiangmei knelt on the ground and cried, "My lord, the little woman must not go back. Since my mother sold me and had such an incident, she categorically would not let me go back. ”

Hearing this, Zhou Fulai also felt reasonable. Then he asked her again, "Then what other relatives do you have, I will send you to a relative's house." ”

"Except for my aunt who sold me ten years ago, I have no relatives." Xiangmei replied, then knelt down and kowtowed again, saying, "My lord, the little woman really has no place to go, so you can take me in." Just let me be a rough girl by your side. ”

Looking at Xiangmei, who was kneeling on the ground and crying, Zhou Fulai moved his heart of compassion. He sighed and said, "That's it, you can go back with me." ”

When Xiangmei heard this, she immediately kowtowed and thanked her. Then he wiped away his tears, got up from the ground, and followed Zhou Fu's team towards the city......

(End of chapter)

The little people of the Ming Dynasty

The little people of the Ming Dynasty

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