The Great Zhou Dynasty forbade the sale of one's principal wife.
So the brokerage firm had Zhang Shuiniang sign a contract of servitude and Li Zhiyuan write a letter of divorce.
After throwing down thirty taels of silver, Zhang Shuiniang was led away.
Zhang Shuiniang followed the slave trader, stumbling along, and boarded the donkey cart in a daze.
She thought another hell awaited her.
To everyone's surprise, when the donkey cart arrived in town, they let her get off.
The slave trader gave her the indenture and then slipped her thirty taels of silver and a letter, saying, "Take this."
Zhang Shuiniang took it in a daze: "Brothers, this is..."
The slave trader frowned and said, "An employer has paid us to buy you. From now on, you are free!"
Zhang Shuiniang finally snapped out of her shock, a mix of joy and disbelief welling up inside her: "How could this be..."
Who exactly is it?
With trembling hands, she opened the letter.
There was no signature, only two sentences: Wait for me, I will come to pick you up. Don't say anything about me.
“Jiao…” Zhang Shui Niang recognized Li Jiao Jiao’s handwriting at a glance, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She knew that her beloved Jiaojiao wouldn't abandon her!
Zhang Shuiniang gripped the slave trader's hand tightly: "Tell her... I'll wait for her. I'll wait for her in town!"
The human trafficker left.
Zhang Shuiniang clutched the letter tightly, her eyes regaining their light, feeling that the road ahead was once again full of hope.
Later, Zhang Shuiniang rented a small courtyard in a remote corner of the town.
She waited there every day for Li Jiaojiao to come back to her, and also for Li Ziming to be released from prison.
That's a story for another time.
......
The human trafficker sent a reply to the capital on the very day he completed his mission.
Dongshan Ya Hang had branches throughout the entire Zhou Dynasty.
When Li Jiaojiao went to the brokerage, the brokerage immediately sent a letter to its Nanzhou branch via carrier pigeon.
After completing their mission, the people from Nanzhou would send a message back to the capital.
The brokerage firm's carrier pigeons were very quick, and Li Jiaojiao received a reply early the next morning.
Li Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Zhang Shuiniang had finally escaped the hellish situation caused by Li Zhiyuan.
Then, gritting his teeth, he said, "The matter was handled alright, but it was too expensive. It was just delivering a few letters and helping to buy someone, yet they charged twenty taels for the service, just like bandits!"
Little Green, who was making the bed and folding the blankets nearby, was speechless.
Even brokers have to keep it a secret; twenty taels isn't expensive at all.
After putting the pillow away, Xiao Lü turned around and said, "Miss, there are only four days left until Madam Shen's birthday. We should hurry up with the etiquette lessons."
Li Jiaojiao's heart skipped a beat, but she confidently curled her lips into a smile: "Let's go to class now."
......
Ye Caiping has already drawn all the parts needed for the hand pump well.
He handed it to Shen Zhiyan: "Find a good blacksmith and have all these things made."
Shen Zhiyan took it: "Don't worry."
At this moment, Ye Caiping's maid, Changxi, came in: "Madam Ye, someone has delivered a plaque outside."
"Okay, let them in."
Shen Zhiyan looked at her: "When are you going to start pretending?"
Ye Caiping's eyes lit up with a smile: "Now that it's here, let's install it now."
Shen Zhiyan's lips curled slightly.
In less than half a day, plaques were installed all over Ye Caiping's entire mansion.
The two large gold-painted characters "Ye Mansion" in front of the gate are particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.
The plaque had only been in place for less than an hour, and the aristocratic circles of the capital were in an uproar!
Everyone knows perfectly well which house belongs to which family in this location and area.
This mansion was prepared by the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion for use when the Second Master Shen divided his family property.
Everyone's talking about it: "People are living in that mansion on Beiteng Street!"
Which house?
"It's the five-courtyard mansion of the Marquis of Dingguo. Not only is there a plaque hanging up, but there are also several servants guarding the gate!"
"The Ye residence? Why isn't it the 'Dingguo Marquis's Residence' or the 'Shen residence'? Did the Dingguo Marquis's Residence sell the house?"
"Such a thing actually happened? Which person surnamed Ye? Is it from Minister Ye's family?"
Minister Ye was the highest-ranking nobleman and official among the Ye family in the capital.
When someone came to ask, Minister Ye quickly denied it, saying that he would be laughing in his dreams if the Marquis's mansion were willing to sell to him.
The entire capital city speculated for a long time but couldn't come up with a result.
Princess Fushun, who was on good terms with the Marquis of Dingguo's family, went directly to the Marquis's house to inquire with the Lady of the Marquis.
The Grand Princess was in her early thirties, kind and gentle in appearance, and was the young emperor's aunt.
In a small, warm pavilion in the outer hall, Lady Hou said with a smile:
“It wasn’t sold. This house was given away as a gift. My brother Yan is engaged. This woman suits his taste, and to show our sincerity, in addition to the betrothal gifts and dowry, we are also giving her this mansion as a betrothal gift.”
Princess Fushun gasped: "Zhiyan is engaged?"
Lady Hou picked up her teacup and smiled, "Yes!"
"Well done, you kept it a secret for so long! You even went through the betrothal ceremony without telling me."
"That's why I'm telling you. Because Ye Yiren lives far away, this matter is both distant and urgent."
"Ye Yiren? Why does that name sound familiar?"
"How could the princess forget the cassava substitution case that happened in May and June? It was Ye Yiren who discovered cassava and figured out how to make it edible. Later, she also discovered yellow-fleshed cassava. All of this was her achievement. Later, that fellow scholar took the credit for it."
The Grand Princess suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember now! I even ate cassava back then, it was so delicious. So it was her! But her status... isn't the difference a bit too great?"
"If he likes it, that's fine. But Your Highness also knows that he is very picky. How bad can someone be that he would choose? You'll see when the time comes."
The Grand Princess paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right. But... can Manman accept it?"
"Hey, you didn't know, did you? It was Manman who made the connection! She's very happy with it; she's had her eye on it for a long time."
"Then I'm relieved."
Lady Hou smiled and said, "When Brother Yan returned to the capital, she came with him. Firstly, to see her mother-in-law, and secondly, to celebrate the wedding."
The Grand Princess picked up her teacup: "Congratulations! Oh, why are some of your doors and windows covered with red silk? And... this glass cup is so beautiful! How come it's so clear?"
She then noticed the cup in her hand, and looked shocked.
The transparency of this glass was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life!
Lady Hou asked with a smug look, "Do you like it?"
"I like it. Can you sell it to me? I'll offer ten thousand taels!"
"no."
The Grand Princess: "..."
Lady Hou smiled and said, "I'll discuss the cup with you after my mother-in-law's birthday."
The Grand Princess: "..."
If we're not going to sell her anymore, what's the point of discussing it?
......
Pigeons are fast; don't take the time it takes to fly too seriously. This is a fictional novel, just for fun.
There are also hand-operated wells, which existed as early as the Song Dynasty. Ancient hand-operated wells didn't need rubber rings; they used other materials instead. Of course, the sealing wasn't as good. Rubber rings were only used in modern times when rubber was available. The author has done research and will try to be as accurate as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
