Chapter 102 Selling the Child
"I'll let you go this time!" Zhao Yuanxi snorted.
Ziying climbed into Zhao Yuanxi's arms, rubbing his little head against her neck, his eyes sparkling, "I knew that Grandmother was the best."
Zhao Yuanxi patted his butt and said with a smile, "Now you know how to say I'm fine?"
Ziying felt embarrassed and suddenly sneezed.
"Hatch—"
He had been crying so hard that his tears and snot were running, and now there were two big snots hanging down his face. He was a little confused, and the cleverness he had just had disappeared, and he looked stupid.
Zhao Yuanxi's eyelids twitched slightly. He took the handkerchief handed to him by Jang Geum and wiped his nose resignedly.
Ziying felt a little embarrassed, but when he saw his grandmother wiping his nose, he couldn't help but start to smile foolishly.
Zhao Yuanxi pinched his face and said, "Why are you so silly again?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
The crackling charcoal fire inside the house kept out the cold outside.
At Yuanxi College, Zhang Liang was rubbing his hands as he sorted out the information of the students who had enrolled recently.
Now Zhao Yuanxi is the dean of the college, and Zhang Liang is the vice dean.
There is no way that Dean Zhao Yuanxi would be asked to do the work. All the big and small matters in the college are now handled by Zhang Liang.
At first Zhang Liang thought he might be crazy for coming here to work for Queen Dowager Zhao, but now he seems to have gradually gotten used to this kind of life.
"Dean, thirteen more children are here today. Some of them are not in good condition. Would you like to come and take a look?" The clerk came over to remind.
Zhang Liang sighed, put down the pen in his hand, and said solemnly, "Take me there."
If Zhao Yuanxi were here, he would be surprised by Zhang Liang's transformation. The bad-tempered child before has now become much calmer and has the demeanor of a top strategist.
Except for a small number of students who came in through cross-examination and were in good spirits, most of the children were skinny.
The children in the room huddled together. When they saw the door being pushed open, they shrank back in fear. Zhang Liang saw the motionless children at a glance and felt their pulse.
Zhang Liang said, "Send the doctor over."
Because most of the children here are malnourished and may have some illnesses, Zhao Yuanxi specially invited the doctor from the clinic to come over in case of emergency.
The child's condition was even worse than Taoyao's before, and he was hanging on by a thread. The doctor prescribed them some medicine, his expression solemn, "Their internal organs were damaged, and they had also caught a severe cold. Whether they can survive depends entirely on themselves."
These children were not only skinny, but also had many wounds on their bodies, as if they had been beaten.
They don't have much skin and flesh left, and a bump or collision could cost them their lives, not to mention that someone deliberately injured them.
The doctor couldn't help cursing those who bullied the child.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Liang rolled up their sleeves and saw a sea of purple.
He frowned and asked the clerk beside him, "Who sent them?"
For all the students admitted, their parents and elders will leave their names and family situations. Even if they are orphans, they will come by themselves and register their family information.
These children were obviously sent here after being abused, and Zhang Liang felt it necessary to find out what had happened.
The clerk immediately replied, "These children collapsed at the entrance of our college on their own. They had no parents or friends to escort them here. I was worried they would freeze to death outside, so I had no choice but to carry them in."
"Put these children in a room temporarily. I'll have to trouble you, doctor, for a while." Zhang Liang said.
Although colds are common diseases, they are very difficult to treat and some are even contagious. To be on the safe side, Zhang Liang could only put them in a separate room.
"Clerk, go and find out more about these children."
A weak child's voice rang out from the doorway, "I know where their home is!"
Tao Yao stood at the door. After staying in the academy these days, her complexion had improved a lot, and her cheeks had gained some flesh, making her look quite cute.
"They live in the house at the end of my alley, but they are not from that family. They were brought in from outside and were supposed to be sold."
Tao Yao looked calm, but said something surprising.
Although Zhang Liang was not a Qin citizen, he had some understanding of Qin's laws, especially since he was surrounded by a group of Qin legalists.
The slaves in Qin were divided into official slaves and private slaves. Official slaves were mainly prisoners of war and criminals, and were managed by the government. Most of the private slaves were enslaved due to debt, or because of hardship in life, or because of emergencies, they had to sacrifice themselves to pay off debts.
Slaves could be bought and sold, but there were strict restrictions. Permission from the government was required, and only slaves could be bought and sold.
"How do you know this?"
"Because, I have also thought about selling myself." Tao Yao bit her lower lip lightly, and seemed not to want to recall the past.
Because they lived in the same alley, Taoyao knew that family. That family even came to ask her mother if they wanted to sell her for some money.
At that time, my mother angrily drove him away.
Taoyao felt a little sad. If her mother had sold her at that time, she might not have starved to death.
On the day her mother fell ill, Taoyao wanted to ask that family for help, but unfortunately the family thought she was too thin, small and sickly, and was worried that she would die if they couldn't sell her at a good price, so they ignored her.
Zhang Liang was stunned and frowned.
If they were slaves, the academy would not be able to accept these children. Slaves were the private property of their masters. If a master kept a runaway slave without permission, he could even hold the master accountable for harboring him.
But given the physical conditions of these children, it is obviously impossible for them to walk here by themselves.
Zhang Liang's eyes turned cold, and he immediately ordered, "Clerk, go report to the authorities first!"
Before the clerk could react to what was happening, he was urged to report to the police, but seeing the serious look on the vice president's face, he rubbed his head and set off.
Before the government officials arrived, a fat woman stood at the entrance of the academy with a fierce look on her face. She cursed, "Hand over our child now! Otherwise, I will tear down this shabby place of yours."
She stood at the door with her hands on her hips, followed by four burly men.
Mrs. Fan is a well-known human trafficker in this area. She has sold at least 1,800 people.
Winter came early this year, and she had wanted to make a fortune by taking advantage of the weather, but she didn't expect that some crappy academy would suddenly appear and snatch away many of the goods she had set her eyes on!
How could she tolerate this!
This shabby place sounds good, it can let those kids eat and live for free, but who is she? How can she not see the ins and outs of this?
In her opinion, this shabby place must be trying to find a more cost-effective way to take in the children. If they wait for the children's parents to come to them, who knows where the children would be sold to.
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