Chapter 289 Has the princess been here before?
Yanzhou City.
The streets are busy with people coming and going.
As a neighboring city of Shengjing, it is a resting place for many merchants before coming to Beijing. There are so many horse-drawn carriages and carts coming and going that an inconspicuous carriage in it will not be noticed at all.
In addition, it was early in the morning and the people were busy with their lives. No one would pay attention to other things, so naturally they would not notice that there was something different about the window of the carriage. Even if they felt the eyes sweeping over them, they would just look around in confusion and continue on their way to work.
"The scenery of Yanzhou is really nice." Inside the car, Rong Huan sighed as she looked at the scenery outside the gauze window.
Like Dongyue, Dazhao is a big country with state capitals everywhere, numerous aristocratic families, and collusion between gentry. The situation in a city can be seen from the faces of the people.
Along the way, Yanzhou is one of the few places where people look energetic.
"Yanzhou is not far from Shengjing, and is half under the emperor's feet. It is well managed, so it is normal for officials to restrain themselves." The personal maid Huaishuang brought brewed tea to Rong Huan.
Rong Huan took the tea, took a sip, and looked at the outsider and said, "Yanzhou was not like this in the past."
"In the past? Princess has been here before?" Huaishuang was surprised.
Although she had not been a maid following the eldest princess since she was a child, she had been with her for five years. Although those who had followed the eldest princess before died of an epidemic, she had also heard that the eldest princess had been raised in the palace since she was born and had never left the palace, let alone come here thousands of miles away.
"I heard it from my brother." Rong Huan explained casually, as if it was a normal thing.
Huaishuang really admired the eldest princess. His brother was brutally killed by the eldest princess, but the eldest princess could still mention him so easily.
But Huaishuang was not the type to ask too many questions, so he didn't say anything else.
"No! You can't sell my daughter, no! Let her go!" Heart-wrenching cries came from the front.
Rong Huan signaled the carriage to stop, and the driver understood and turned the horse around and stopped, making sure the window was facing the place where the incident occurred.
The carriage was high enough to allow one to see the scene inside over the crowd that was gathering back.
He was a man in his early thirties, with tattered clothes and messy hair. There was a dark circle around his eyes and many red bloodshot in the whites of his eyes, which showed that he had not slept last night.
The man was holding a little girl about eight years old in his hand. The girl's face was full of fear and she was crying. Her wrist was red from being grabbed by the man, who used all his strength.
A woman who looked to be almost forty years old was lying on the ground, holding the man's legs tightly with both hands and refusing to let go. The crying sound just now came from her mouth.
The people who gathered around were all neighbors, and they talked to each other, and soon those who were not in the know knew the whole story.
The man Wang San was a well-known gambler. Over the years, he lost all his family wealth. His parents were so angry that they died. He also lost his eldest daughter and second daughter. Now the youngest daughter he was holding in his hand was the only one left.
In order to protect the little girl from being sold again, his wife Huang Niangzi washed clothes and wove cloth to sell during the day, and emptied night incense at night. She was so tired that she looked like she was over 40 although she was less than 30 years old.
Even so, Wang San's hole could not be plugged.
Look, he lost all his money last night, and this morning he came to take his daughter to sell her for silver.
"Why not?! My daughter is mine, I can sell her if I want to. Why would you, a talkative person who can't even give birth to a boy, get the hell out of here?"
Wang San cursed and kicked Huang Niangzi in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Her body, already hollowed out by fatigue, spat out a mouthful of blood, but she still fought hard and rushed forward to hug her legs, begging, "Father, she's only eight years old, too young. Otherwise, you sell me, sell me, don't sell her."
"Mom!" the girl cried out, sounding particularly sad.
"You've gone too far. You're a gambler and you're asking your wife and daughter to sell themselves to pay off your debts." A scholar spoke up to complain.
Wang San glanced at them with a savage look and said, "Why, these are my woman and daughter. I can do whatever I want with them. Why do you have the right to interfere? Are you worried? Fine, give me the silver and I'll sell them to you. One hundred taels, not a penny less."
The scholar was choked.
One hundred taels, he was simply robbing.
Besides, what's the big deal about him buying an old-looking woman and a little girl? It's disgraceful to let people talk about it.
Besides, how could it be so easy to buy them? According to the laws of the Great Zhao, women obey their fathers at home, their husbands after marriage, and their sons after their husbands' death. Now, Wang San has only the power to control Mrs. Huang and the youngest daughter. Even if he reports them to the government, it would only be a few words.
Everyone felt sorry for the mother and daughter, but no one could do anything.
Huaishuang didn't know why the princess stayed. Just as she was about to ask if she wanted to do anything, she heard some unusual noise.
When I turned my gaze back, Wang San was already lying on the ground.
"How dare you..." He climbed halfway up and started to curse, but before he could finish, he looked at the man in military uniform in front of him and immediately shut up.
The man was about twenty-six or twenty-seven, with dark skin and a tall figure. Judging from his military uniform, he seemed to have a high status in the army.
He was not the only one coming. Dozens of people wearing military uniforms came up behind him. One of them had a graceful figure, noble and aloof, like snow on the top of a mountain or a Buddha in a niche.
"Prince Yong? It's Prince Yong, right?"
"Yes! This Huang Niang can be saved."
Everyone was excited and looking forward to it, but also worried.
After all, even Yun Ji cannot go against the laws of Da Zhao.
Wang San also realized what was happening. He threw his hands away and shouted, "What right do soldiers have to beat people? What's wrong with me selling my own wife and daughter? What? Just because an official can beat and kill civilians at will?"
"You!" Chen Duo's temper exploded, and he wished he could kill the beast with one punch.
"One hundred taels, count it." Yun Ji said, and then a heavy purse fell into Wang San's arms.
When he heard it was silver, Wang San immediately opened it to take a look.
Seeing the five silver ingots inside, which were sufficient, he immediately changed his face to one of flattery. He stood up and said humbly, "Enough, enough, enough. These mother and daughter belong to you, the general. You can do whatever you want with them."
Hearing the vulgar tone, none of the dozens of soldiers felt comfortable.
What are they saying? It's as if they are a bunch of beasts and will do something to these mother and daughter after buying them.
"Wait." Yun Ji stopped Wang San from retreating. "Sign the divorce papers and the severance papers."
The soldier behind came out, holding the two documents that Wang Wuwei had just written.
Wang San didn't want to sign, thinking that these people were rich and they would make some money from the mother and daughter after they had spent all their money. He didn't expect these people to be so cunning.
But as he retreated towards the crowd, he heard that the leader was Prince Yong, the general of Yanzhou, a royal relative, whom he could not afford to offend.
Weighing the silver in my hand, it's okay, two money-losing goods can be sold for one hundred taels, which is not bad.
Wang San swiftly pressed his fingerprints on the two documents, and when he saw that the soldiers did not stop him, he ran away.
The onlookers felt bad. Although they had saved the mother and daughter, even Yun Ji, who was the Prince of Yong, had to pay silver to save them. What about ordinary people? Who could be so lucky as to meet Prince Yong?
"Ah! They're stealing the silver!"
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Wang San exclaim.
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