"Lu Tu, wake up! Do you want a wife?"
Lu Tu was awakened by a shaking. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a calloused hand checking his breath. He alertly rolled over and got up.
But as soon as his feet touched the ground, memories flooded back, causing him to feel dizzy for a moment. He had to use his willpower to stay upright.
A few seconds later, he realized he was dead! In his previous life, as the king of special forces in China, he was confronting Indian soldiers on the border. Unexpectedly, the other side dared to fire. He had a chance to dodge the bullet, but in order to protect his comrades, Lü Tu used his chest to block the bullet.
This led him to transmigrate into a fictional dynasty called Dayu, into the body of a hunter with the same name as himself.
The soldiers inside urged, "We thought you were dead! Don't just stand there like that! The imperial court is sending out wives, come with us right now!"
The bearded man at the head of the group glared at him with displeasure: "I've never seen anyone like you! You're not even enthusiastic about finding a wife!"
Lu Tu made a quick judgment and smiled as he clasped his hands in a fist salute to the group: "I was so hungry that I was dizzy and didn't hear you calling me. I'm so grateful that you officials made the trip in person."
The bearded men were just ordinary soldiers, not officers, but they were secretly pleased to hear the compliments. They pulled out a sesame seed cake from their pockets and tossed it over: "Here's a reward for you."
"Thank you, sir." Lu Tu tucked the cake into his pocket and followed him out.
This place is called Wuchuan. As one of the six border towns of the Great Yu Dynasty, the residents here are of a complex composition, including soldiers who came to guard the frontier, death row inmates who were exiled here for committing serious crimes, and the last refuge for criminals.
Here, the law is meaningless; everything depends on strength! The complexity rivals the Russia-Ukraine front in his previous life. For others, this environment might be a hellish start, but for Lu Tu, the king of special forces, it's like a fish in water!
Before long, the group arrived at Caishikou. This was the first time Lu Tu had ever heard of such a situation, which showed the extent of the population shortage in the six border towns.
A temporary platform was erected in the center of Caishikou, where all sorts of women stood, ranging in age from 16 to 40, with varying appearances, but most of them were strong and dark-skinned.
Their biggest commonality was that they all wore expressions of worry about the future, their brows furrowed and sighing frequently.
Lu Tu spotted a woman with outstanding temperament in the crowd at a glance. She was completely different from the other women. Not only did she have fair skin and a pure appearance, but her high ponytail, casually tied with straw rope, swayed in the breeze, just like the campus goddess Lu Tu had seen in his previous life.
Of course, many men at the scene also noticed her and secretly thought that they would choose her as their wife later.
The one in charge of the overall situation was Zhou Taishan, the Commandant of the Po Rong School. Lu Tu recalled that three days ago at the market, he had stopped Zhou Taishan's son, Zhou Yabing, from harassing women in the village. Zhou Yabing had left because of family matters, and Lu Tu wondered if Zhou Taishan knew about this.
He was clad in dark armor, with a broadsword at his waist. The marks of swords and axes on his armor alone showed how fierce the battle had been.
Zhou Taishan cupped his hands towards the southern sky and said loudly, "I am grateful for Your Majesty's grace and compassion for the men of Wuchuan who fought valiantly. Starting this year, every year thereafter, these women who have been convicted of crimes will be sent to Wuchuan as a reward to unmarried men! But there is one condition: if they cannot bear children after one year, they will be exiled to the status of slaves!"
These words shocked the entire audience!
Wu Lao Er, a bachelor from the same village, nudged Lü Tu beside him and whispered, "Lü Tu, are you sure you can handle this? Don't end up being enslaved a year from now."
Lu Tu curled his lip in disdain: "Worry about yourself."
Old Zhao leaned over and sneered, "Lu Tu, your family is so poor, don't let your wife run away from you, or you'll still be enslaved a year from now!"
Lu Tu was known for his fiery temper; otherwise, he wouldn't have transmigrated here. So why would he give these guys a friendly look?
“My wife ran away, so I’ll have your wife give birth for me. I think your wife has a pretty big butt.”
"You fucking want to die!" Zhao Laowu made a move to raise his fist, but was stopped by the soldiers next to him who glared at him.
Other people were also very dissatisfied with this system, and they discussed it among themselves: "In this day and age, who doesn't have an accident? What if the wife we bring in has a problem? We'll be reduced to slavery too. Isn't this treating people like livestock?"
"Exactly! A year is too short. Look at Old Li's wife outside the East City. She's starved to the bone and hasn't gotten pregnant in three years!"
Zhou Taishan shouted, "Silence! I am only acting according to the imperial decree. If no one is born within a year, regardless of whose fault it is, they will all be demoted to slavery! Now, begin the selection of wives!"
Upon hearing this, those who had previously wanted to choose a beautiful woman as their wife instantly gave up the idea.
Everyone knows that people with big hips are good at giving birth. In a peaceful and prosperous era, most people would probably value appearance and figure.
But this is Wuchuan, and it is a place in turbulent times!
Beauty is worthless in the face of practicality, not to mention the cruel Wuchuan criminal law. If you only care about beauty and marry a wife who cannot have children, you will be in big trouble after a year.
In Wuchuan, slaves were worse off than cattle and horses! Not only would they lose their freedom and be forced to do the dirtiest and hardest work, but whenever the Wuhuan army invaded, they would be used as cannon fodder and sent to their deaths. Just thinking about it made those with lustful desires shudder!
As the men went to choose wives, unsurprisingly, almost everyone specifically chose women who were strong and had big buttocks.
Even 40-year-old women who have lost their beauty still have suitors, since they have often given birth, which is like having an extra layer of insurance, guaranteeing that they can pass the check-up a year later.
Wu Lao Er also chose such an ugly wife. After picking her, he was full of excitement and provocatively asked Lü Tu, "Lü Tu, do you dare to marry that skinny monkey woman?"
Seeing that Lü Tu remained silent, Wu Lao Er sneered, "I've noticed your eyes have been fixed on Skinny Monkey the whole time. If you dare to marry her, I'll give you 100 coins as a dowry!"
Zhao Laowu and the people nearby laughed heartily: "Lu Tu, if you marry her, I'll give you 150 coins as a gift!"
"I'll give you 200 coins!"
The crowd had made their choices, and only a few women remained on the stage, including Song Yuxi, the girl with the ponytail. She naturally heard the jeers from below the stage.
Her face showed shame and indignation. She, one of the Eight Pillars of State and the daughter of the former Grand General of the Great Yu Dynasty, had been ridiculed by a country bumpkin!
Unfortunately, she had already traveled to all six towns, and Wuchuan was the last stop. If she still couldn't be chosen as a wife, she would only be demoted to a prostitute.
At that moment, Song Yuxi happened to meet Lu Tu's gaze, who was being ridiculed by everyone. In his eyes, Song Yuxi seemed to see an emotion completely different from that of other men—a kind of...pity?
The men of the Six Towns have a notorious reputation for being shameless scoundrels! How could anyone possibly feel pity for me?
She gave a self-deprecating laugh, proudly turned her head away, and forced herself not to shed tears of humiliation. If she were truly reduced to a prostitute, she would find an opportunity to commit suicide rather than dishonor the integrity of the Song family!
Seeing that only Lü Tu remained unchosen, Zhou Taishan impatiently spat on the ground: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and take a strong woman with you!"
Just then, Song Yuxi heard a voice she would never forget: "No! I want to marry her!"
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