Chapter 043 Traitor 43
The capital city lives up to its name as the imperial capital. It is a place where countless beautiful women and talented men are vying for admission. It is extremely prosperous and crowded.
Seeing the city gate, the escort finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he was not delayed by any other accidents.
Before leaving, the escorts gave Xiao Yan and his companions the addresses of the escort agencies they knew in the capital, suggesting they look for them if they returned home. An introduction from an acquaintance was always better than an unfamiliar escort agency.
After bidding farewell to the escorts, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen found an inn to stay temporarily.
There was still some time before the imperial examination, and prices in the capital were skyrocketing. If they went there with packages, it would be obvious they were desperate to rent a house, making them no different from being taken advantage of. A short break would be enough to avoid being ripped off.
but……
The Ling family had connections in the capital, and they had written to invite them to stay with them, but the feeling of living under someone else's roof was not good, so Xiao Yan finally declined Brother Ling's kindness.
After resting in the inn for two days, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen came to the pawnshop.
The Yahang is also located on North Street, but unlike other places, the roads here are clean and tidy. Although the people living here do not look rich in their clothes, they are clean, just with a lot of patches.
The trafficker was a man in his late twenties, with a broad face and cheeks, and was very good at observing people's expressions.
Seeing the slight surprise in Xiao Yan's eyes, he explained, "Sir, I presume you're a stranger, aren't you? Perhaps you're not aware of the rules. The streets must be clear of dirt, and clothing must be kept slovenly. Violators will be fined."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan understood that this was for the so-called "city appearance." After all, as the imperial capital, if the streets were littered with garbage, not only would it be unpleasant for the people themselves, but even foreign envoys would probably think that their country, a dignified nation, was no more than this, and might harbor ill intentions.
The trafficker lowered his voice, "You don't have to worry about anyone taking advantage of the situation to make money. As long as they don't break the rules, they won't be punished. We have rules to govern ourselves, and the higher-ups have rules to govern them, so there won't be any chaos."
I have to say that the capital city is worthy of being the capital city. If it were any other provincial capital, there would probably be too many people who bully others by taking advantage of their power or who take advantage of the opportunity to make money. Only under the emperor's feet can this happen.
There is a saying that goes "The sky is high and the emperor is far away", otherwise how could the term "local emperor" be derived?
Xiao Yan nodded and explained his purpose.
"My younger brother and I are both candidates for the imperial examination this year. We'd like to find a quiet place without hidden dangers, but we're short on cash. As the saying goes, every skill has its own specialty. Someone with your extraordinary abilities, I'm sure, could help us two brothers out."
This was said by using the fact that two people from the same family had passed the imperial examination to tell the human traffickers that they had a bright future and that if they wanted to plot against them, they would have to think twice.
Secondly, it is to elevate the other party. After all, no one doesn't like to hear good words, and it can also do more things to facilitate the other party.
After hearing this, the trafficker smiled. Of course, it was unknown how much sincerity there was in his smile, but he had already done his job to show his sincerity.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I'm just trying to make a living, so how can I be considered competent? Since you think highly of me, I will do my best to choose for you."
"How long do you plan to stay? What kind of house do you want? I have both a first-yard and a second-yard here. I guarantee they'll be quiet."
Although this may sound a bit frivolous, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen came here to pursue official careers. If nothing unexpected happened, they would likely spend considerable time in the capital, so they planned to buy a small courtyard for temporary residence. Once things settled down, they would purchase a slightly larger courtyard.
However, their plans should not be made known to outsiders, so as to avoid being labeled as young and frivolous and self-righteous.
"It's good to have a courtyard right after entering. It would be best if there were guest rooms and a study. It would be best if there was a well in the courtyard, and it shouldn't be too remote."
We are all smart people, and we already know the unspoken meaning without having to say it out loud.
Generally, scholars who came to take the imperial examinations would be happy to have a temporary place to stay, but these two people mentioned guest rooms, which meant that they planned to live in the capital for a long time, and it was impossible for them to buy a courtyard.
This kind of person is either incredibly confident in themselves or has a high opinion of themselves; either way, the probability of both is 50/50. In other words, don't offend them easily; perhaps making friends with them can be extremely beneficial.
In just a few breaths, the trafficker's mind was full of thoughts, but he did not show it on his face.
He mentally eliminated some of the less-than-perfect and somewhat flawed courtyards and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! I happen to have two courtyards on hand that will surely suit your taste."
"One is in Mingxiang, East Street, and the other is in Dingnan, West Street. One of these two masters entrusted me with his family due to mourning, and the other left the capital due to family problems. But please rest assured, young master, they are all people with clean backgrounds and have written documents to prove their integrity."
Xiao Yan didn't go to see the house right away, but instead asked about the price. When he heard the price, he found it far beyond their budget, so he immediately declined. It must be said that the capital city is a place where every inch of land is worth a lot of money, and even the housing prices are shockingly high.
When the human trafficker saw his reaction, he knew that there was not enough money. After asking about the approximate budget, he was a little troubled.
"One thousand taels can certainly buy a courtyard in the capital, but... achieving what you desire will be difficult... East and West Streets are the best choices, followed by South Street, and finally North Street."
"Since you two are both successful candidates, it's not appropriate for you to be in the North and South Streets, where all kinds of people gather. In my opinion, this is not very appropriate. Why don't you think of a way to borrow some from your relatives and friends?"
The human trafficker was also very sincere. If it weren't for the fact that both brothers were juren and had extraordinary conversation skills, he would not have left the money unearned and asked them to think of a solution instead.
If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't care whether they were suitable or not, and would just sell them first. The water here is deep.
Although they were mentally prepared before coming here, they were still shocked by the housing prices in Beijing.
You have to know that one copper coin can buy a coarse-grained steamed bun. In their hometown, fifty taels can already buy a large house, but in the capital, a thousand taels can't even afford a slightly better courtyard...
The gap is simply amazing!
They now had 3,200 taels of silver, which was all they had. Although they had the silver, they chose to give up their profits to avoid future troubles. So far, they had not made any income.
They will continue to live in the capital in the future, so naturally they will save as much as possible.
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and asked, "How much silver is each?"
"West Street is a bit more expensive, 1,800 taels of silver, while East Street is cheaper, only 1,500 taels of silver."
He explained: "There are tables and chairs inside, and we just need to clean it up before we can move in."
"Is there any other way?"
Xiao Yan clutched his chest. "Brother, you don't know. I've been weak for years and have been consuming a lot of medicine. I'm young, with no elders at home, and naturally have no relatives or friends. But my family is so calculating, they even plotted against me for two acres of land. If it weren't for my two brothers' alertness, I'm afraid we wouldn't be alive today. Otherwise, we two brothers wouldn't have made this long journey alone."
He wiped away a tear for himself, "Life is so hard!"
Human traffickers have seen people who play the emotional card before, but it is rare to see people as miserable as these two brothers.
The traffickers had already seen something from the moment they first saw them. After all, these two were still young, and if they had no elders in their family, how could they not have been provided with money by their elders?
But when he really heard it, he rarely felt empathy, but it was mostly gossip.
"Your relative is truly inhuman, isn't he? You two brothers both have such bright futures, how could they be so short-sighted?"
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. "Brother, you may not know that my uncle didn't want to split up the house. Later, with the intervention of the village head and the elders, he had no choice but to give us the dilapidated old house..."
"You don't know, when I was nearly dead, my uncle was still thinking of waiting for me to close my eyes so he could take me over and torture me to death!"
Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with the vicissitudes and sadness of the world, "Just for two acres of farmland and a piece of land!"
The trafficker sighed, "How can human hearts be so ugly?!"
"Fortunately, I had the help of noble people, so I managed to get through it. But there is nothing free in the world, and it is difficult to repay favors... Oh, let's not talk about it!" Xiao Yan sighed.
Xiao Yan said this to rationalize where their money went. After all, it was too troublesome to explain, and it was not appropriate for him to reveal that he was the one who flattered the scholar. At the same time, it contradicted his intention to save money by playing the victim.
Generally speaking, those who can become Juren must be wealthy businessmen who want to change their family background and make investments. Therefore, when Xiao Yan mentioned noble people, human traffickers would naturally think of wealthy businessmen.
The so-called investment is nothing more than marriage, which has become a common thing.
The human traffickers might have imagined Xiao Yan as a man who had to compromise and agree to the rich businessman's demands in order to protect his younger brother and to be able to resist his despicable uncle.
Suddenly, his eyes were filled with pity when he looked at Xiao Yan.
Don't think it's easy to be the son-in-law of a wealthy businessman. Merchants are the most mercenary, practically plucking the feathers from a passing goose, squeezing you dry even to the bone. If you become the son-in-law of a wealthy businessman, you will probably find it difficult to escape in the future, and you will be forced to do things of your own accord.
By then, the wealthy businessman would certainly force Xiao Yan to do something, and then he would oblige, violating the law and ending up in jail and executed later in the autumn...
Well, when the human trafficker looked at Xiao Yan, he had already imagined how he regretted his actions in prison.
Xiao Yan coughed lightly, interrupting the human trafficker's imagination.
The human brigand looked at him with sympathy, "I understand, I understand your thoughts!"
Xiao Yan: “???”
No, how come you understand???
Xiao Yan had something to ask for, so he didn't feel comfortable asking what the other person had understood. However, these words did bring them good news.
The trafficker paused in thought. "I understand your difficulties. A mere one thousand taels won't buy you a nice house in Beijing. I have a two-story house here. It's in a good location, on West Street, and it only costs eight hundred and eighty-eight taels and eight cents. It doesn't have any tables, chairs, benches, or even a bed. It's just an empty house."
"If you are willing, I can take you two there."
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