That night, the Cui family gave Du Wulang a book boy as a gift. Cui Jing also liked to drink wine, so Du Wulang drank a few more drinks and inevitably became drunk.
He always boasted that he had a much better drinking capacity than Xue Bai, but he woke up with a hangover in the evening of the next day.
"What kind of wine? It tastes sweet and so strong." He muttered, squinting his eyes that were difficult to open and feeling the red clouds filling the room.
"Hui Jilangjun said that it is Sichuan wine. The so-called 'Sichuan wine is so strong that it is invincible'."
Suddenly there was a soft and waxy voice next to me.
Du Wulang was so frightened that he felt something smooth and delicate touch the back of his hand, and Jiu Jin woke up immediately.
When he turned around, he saw a young lady lying next to her. Judging from her bun, she thought she was a servant of the Cui family.
"I, I, I...who are you? Why are you here with me?"
"Yoshiro-kun asked the master to give this slave to you."
"Did I say that?"
"yes."
Du Wulang used to often hear Xue Bai and Yan Quanming say that he didn't believe it when he encountered such a thing, thinking that there was no such thing as a good thing. But now that he encountered it, he didn't think it was a good thing at first, but felt that it was a troublesome thing.
This matter must have been arranged by Cui Dong, otherwise it could be that this woman fell in love with him at first sight? Even though he has a good face, it is not like this.
He had a vague feeling that Cui Dong might have figured out his identity.
"Last night." Du Wulang asked in a low voice, "I didn't, didn't I fight?"
Only then did he take a closer look at the other person's appearance. He was not beautiful. He could only be described as having pretty features, thin and dark hair. He looked very honest, but occasionally his eyes flickered, and he seemed to have a shrewd feeling.
Compared with the irrepressible charm of Da Xi Yingying he had seen many years ago, the little girl in front of him did not have much appeal.
The maid hesitated slightly and shook her head.
"Then go out quickly...Hey, wait a minute, put on your clothes."
After finally seeing the maid put on her clothes and run out, Du Wulang sighed.
When he saw Cui Dong, he couldn't help but ask about it.
Cui Dong heard this and responded: "Forty-three Lang said you asked him for it."
"What did I ask for?"
Du Wulang was stunned. First he was surprised that the other party gave him as soon as he asked for it. Then he thought about it carefully and realized that he couldn't remember anything after he was drunk last night.
"But I should be talking about the book boy, not the maid, right?"
"I know." Cui Dong frowned slightly and said, "Forty-three Lang must have misunderstood what I meant."
"What does this mean?"
Cui Dong was a little embarrassed and said in a low voice: "The Cui family has strict upbringing and prohibits certain hobbies in other professions."
"What's the hobby?" Du Wulang didn't react immediately, but he understood later and hurriedly said: "You don't think I want that book boy because... I just see that he studies hard and has ambition, so I want to help him. .”
"I know that Brother Ji and I have the same aspirations. How could I not know who you are?" Cui Dong said: "So I said that Cui Jing misunderstood and was afraid that you would cause trouble in other industries, so I arranged for a maid to accompany you."
"I didn't." Du Wulang was full of things to say, but unfortunately he only had a stupid mouth.
Cui Dong said: "This is Cui Jing's fault. He has always been ineffective. I will definitely let my uncle teach him a lesson."
While he was talking, Cui Jing also came over. When he talked about this, he pretended to be surprised and said: "Brother Ji, you are going too far. If you hadn't spoken, why would I, a member of a well-known family, act like this turtle when I have nothing to ask of you?"
Business?"
"How did you learn these shabby words?!" Cui Dong's face was stern, he scolded angrily, and turned around to go find his elders to complain.
"Brother, please don't do this. Brother Ji, help me stop him."
When Du Wulang saw this, he was not sure whether what Cui Jing said was true or not. After all, he stepped forward to hold Cui Dong and said, "Don't make the matter a big deal."
"Brother Ji, you don't know something. My younger brother is used to misbehaving. I didn't want to pay attention to him. It was my uncle who asked me to control him. If you continue to indulge him, I don't know how many dandy habits he will develop in the future."
Du Wulang said: "I don't want to condone him, but if things get out of hand, it will not be good for the maid."
"Haha." Cui Jing said with a smile: "Brother Ji is very sympathetic to her."
"No, no." Du Wulang waved his hand and said, "I really didn't touch her. As long as you believe me, don't let outsiders know about it."
He actually knew that when the news spread, it was nothing more than a romantic affair for them, but for the unknown maid, the sky fell.
Cui Jing raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Okay, Brother Xinji, if you say you haven't touched it, you haven't touched it."
"Look at you, you have a playful smile, but you still look like a child of a noble family." Cui Dong scolded him a few more times.
That's how it went.
Cui Dong did not let Cui Jing accompany him to play with Du Wulang again. After another three days, he did ask for the inkstone and gave it to Du Wulang.
Unlike when the Du family took in Xue Bai, this time the slaves were transferred in a serious manner, and a deed was required.
First, the Cui family and Du Wulang wrote a private deed and found a guarantor. The identities of the buyer, seller and guarantor were clearly stated in the private deed. Then, they took the private deed to the Shou'an County Government Office to apply for an official deed.
~~
Shou'an County Department.
The name of the county administrator is Zong Han. He looked at the documents in front of him and said, "Good luck? This person's household registration document is probably wrong."
The clerk on the side whispered: "Luoyang Prefecture sent someone to explain to the county magistrate that there is no need to check the identity of this Jiji."
"Oh?" Zong Han said: "It's just a transfer of a slave, and it also alarms the Luoyang Mansion? This person is not simple."
"If it were simple, how could the Cui family please him? Such a well-versed slave in blue could probably be sold for fifty guan."
Zong Han also wanted to make friends with Mr. Ji Lang, so he nodded and said, "Let's do it."
"Here."
Normally, he, the chief clerk, would simply ignore these trivial matters. This time, since big shots were involved, Zong Han personally watched it and asked the county officials to follow the procedures in a strict manner and summon everyone.
Including the three stewards of the Cui family, the guarantor, and Yanfang.
Du Wulang could have just sent an entourage, but he came in person anyway, and Cui Dong accompanied him as he entered the county office for the first time.
"Several of you, according to Tang law, the purchase and sale of slaves requires a physical examination to confirm their status as untouchables, in order to prevent the beloved from being illegally bought and sold and offending."
"Please."
The county official then asked the third steward a few questions, all about how the Cui family came to have the slave Yan Fang.
"Back to the county magistrate, the Yanfang family has been the servants of the Cui family for generations." The third steward replied calmly.
Yanfang was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but said: "Third manager, my family used to..."
The third steward quickly scolded him: "The county magistrate hasn't asked you yet, it's not time for you to speak."
The slave next to him would have been frightened into silence by such a glare. Pian Yanfang wanted to take the imperial examination and was arrogant. He turned to look at Du Wulang and saw that Du Wulang looked supportive of him.
Then he started talking anyway.
"Mr. Xu Shisan misremembered. My family used to live in Xiangshui Village, Shouan County. It was because of the famine that my grandfather sold himself to the Cui Mansion. He was not a slave for generations."
"oh?"
Zong Han was sitting there, stroking his long beard and looking businesslike. Hearing this, his eyes widened, staring at the inkstone, and said: "Do you want to think clearly? I'm sure you remember correctly."
Yanfang didn't understand why the county magistrate didn't ask the third steward if he remembered correctly, but asked himself instead.
"The villain is sure."
Zong Han stroked his long beard and glanced at the "Ji Langjun", his eyes turned left and right, feeling a little unsure.
He thought about it and gave the official a look. The official called the third steward and asked, "You didn't explain it beforehand, okay?"
"Alas." The third steward also had a bitter look on his face, "The master is so kind and kind to give this cheap servant a good way out. Who would have thought that he would go crazy in the county hall."
"Then you tell him."
"yes."
The third steward then approached Yanfang angrily and said in a low voice: "I know you're a bitch, but if you want to follow Yoshiro-kun, you'd better honestly admit that you are a bitch."
Over there, Du Wulang couldn't hear what these people were mumbling, so he couldn't help but ask Cui Dong, "What's wrong?"
Cui Dong smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Ji, come with me."
The two of them then left the small room and walked aside.
"What's going on?"
Cui Dongdao: "For buying and selling, and for giving to slaves, the slaves must personally confirm that they are untouchables, to prevent them from robbing good people and turning them into untouchables."
"I know." Du Wulang said, "Isn't Yanfang a lowly person?"
Cui Dong hesitated for a while and then said: "The Yanfang family could no longer survive. They said that they were penniless, poorly clothed, and skinny, and Yanfang was almost starving to death. The Cui family helped them and gave them
They asked to be stewards of their fields, hoping to join the Cui family to work for the Cui family. This is also the Cui family's rule, only to use their own people who share the honor and disgrace. But... Tang law strictly prohibits selling good people to become low, and plundering good people to become slaves.
twist."
"So, this matter is illegal." Du Wulang said: "Then the Yanfang family went from good to low, how to deal with the paperwork?"
Cui Dong sighed: "Brother Ji is also a high-ranking man, don't you really know that? How many officials in the world really act according to the "Tang Law"?"
Du Wulang was speechless.
He suddenly discovered that he was not as kind as he thought.
When the Du family took Xue Bai in, they did not sign a contract, but it was similar to employment. Du Wulang was still young at that time, and he treated Xue Bai like a friend. But what if the Liu Ji case hadn't happened?
Without Liu Ji's case, the Du family would have seen that Xue Bai was a runaway official slave, so they would go to the government office. The city office would have issued a low-level document, thus turning people into slaves of the Du family from generation to generation. .
The Du family in Jingzhao is actually no different from the other high-ranking families, except that Du has a neighbor and a common branch. As a member of the East Palace Party in those years, it was the time to be cautious in words and deeds, and be cautious in life.
Cui Dong patted Du Wulang's shoulder and sighed: "So, I don't like these official career and economic matters. Brother Ji and I are the same people. We don't want to see others suffer, and we won't have a big future. Let's be idle clouds and wild cranes together." Bar."
Du Wulang also sighed, not knowing what to do.
He knew that Xue Bai now wanted to abolish slavery, and what the Cui family did to the Yanfang family was a typical example. But everyone in the world did this, including all his close relatives of the Du family.
Now, should he not restrain his relatives first, but punish Cui Dong for his crimes?
Cui Dong said this to him entirely out of trust.
~~
In the official room, Zong Han was stroking his long beard and looking at the inkstone indifferently.
The county clerk didn't say a word, but he put tremendous pressure on the book boy.
The third steward threatened Yan Fang a few more times.
"You should think carefully before answering. The law of the Tang Dynasty strictly forbids a good man to become a lowly man. If a good man is made a slave, he will be hanged!"
Yanfang's lips turned a little white. He turned his head and looked outside the door. He saw Cui Dong and Mr. Jilang talking arm in arm, looking very close.
He became increasingly uneasy.
"According to the law, you need to confirm it personally when you transfer it to a slave, so as not to rob a good person and turn him into a bitch." Zong Han spoke again and said: "Yanfang, let me ask you, are you a bitch?"
Yanfang knew that only by admitting that he was a slave could he be given to Lord Jilang. Then, Lord Jilang would help him in his imperial examination career and change his fate of being a slave for generations.
If you give another answer, you are reporting to the government that the Cui family is robbing a good man. This offends the master family to death. The government cannot touch a hair of the Cui family, but the Cui family just raises a finger and does it. Can push myself to death.
He licked his lips, preparing to answer.
But suddenly my grandpa's timid appearance came to mind.
Perhaps his grandfather had knelt down here humbly back then, and now, he was going to follow in his footsteps...otherwise, what would he do?
Destiny is determined by birth, how to change it? Change by studying?
"Yanfang, are you a bitch?"
"Go back to the magistrate, this slave is a bitch."
Over there, Du Wulang and Cui Dong came over. Zong Han glanced at them and continued to ask questions in a business-like manner.
"Are you sure you haven't been robbed and turned into a bitch? You are a bitch and have been owned by the Cui family for generations, right?"
"yes."
"So, after the county office has completed the verification and determined that the private deed is legal." Zong Han picked up the application form for municipal bonds from the desk, took a pen and wrote on it the situation verified by the government office, then picked up the official seal and breathed a sigh of relief.
Once this seal is stamped, the inkstone will belong to "Jiji".
"Mr. Lang, I don't want to leave!"
Yanfang suddenly spoke, turned to Cui Dong, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and said: "Please don't give me this slave to Mr. Ji Lang. I just want to stay in Cui's house."
"Why are you doing this?" Cui Dong asked doubtfully, "I know you like to study, and you do it for fame and career. Although I strongly disagree with such utilitarianism, since Brother Ji is willing to help you, it is your good fortune, and I can make it happen. This matter."
"I don't want to leave the Cui family." Yan Fang burst into tears and said, "I beg you, Mr. Lang, to keep me here!"
Du Wulang stood aside, watching the book boy knocking his head with a banging sound, and suddenly thought of his former book boy Duan Yan.
In the fifth year of Tianbao, before Duan Yan was beaten to death, he was still shouting: "Let Wu Lang go!"
He had always felt that Duan Yan was deeply in love with his master and servant, but at this moment, he suddenly understood that Duan Yan did what he did only because he was bound by his status as a lowly slave.
It wasn't Ji Wen's son who tied up Duan Inkstone with a rope, but the cruel and strict hierarchy. A bookboy could not protect his master and would only die.
And what about him? For more than ten years, he still pretended to be kind and felt that they had a deep sense of loyalty to each other. Just imagine, if Duan Yan was a good man, would he really be willing to lay down his life for others?
Du Wulang originally thought that today he would have another book boy named Yanfang to make up for the regrets of the past. But now, he suddenly felt that this matter was boring.
"That's all, Cui Dong, since he doesn't want to, don't give him to me."
Cui Dong said: "Yanfang, have you made up your mind? Should you follow me as your younger brother, or should you follow Brother Ji?"
He almost said it bluntly that Cui Jing was not a good master and let Yan Fang make the choice.
Yanfang said without hesitation: "I don't want to leave the Cui family!"
As a result, the written deed was canceled again, and the third steward apologized to the county office and took the person away again.
Zong Han looked at their backs, sneered, and said to himself: "I'm just kidding."
"Even a slave can waste so much time of noble people." said the official.
"What do you know?" Zong Han picked up the newspaper and took a look at it. He flipped his hand and murmured: "This is just like the imperial court's new policy. It's just a joke."
~~
"Yanfang, I know what you think."
After leaving the county office, Du Wulang found an opportunity, patted Yan Fang on the shoulder and whispered: "You don't want to admit that you are a lowly citizen on the market certificate, right? Your family is a good person, and you want to treat it as a good person?"
If you take part in the imperial examination with this status, don’t worry, I will help you."
"Yoshiro-kun has misunderstood. I don't want to take the scientific examination anymore."
"Why?" Du Wulang was very surprised.
Yan Fangzhi said: "I don't even understand the laws of the Tang Dynasty. I just realized today that I was too naive before and I didn't dare to have extravagant hopes."
"What are you talking about? Let me take a look at the paper. You don't need to be a Jinshi, as long as you can pass the Children's Examination. This Children's Examination is the threshold for becoming a scholar, and the court can release you from your humble status."
"My slave can't solve a single question," Yan Fang said. "My slave has finally entered the Cui family. How can I take the exam in order to leave my country? I haven't finished repaying the Cui family's great kindness."
Du Wulang was very puzzled and asked: "Why are you suddenly like this? Did the steward say something to you in the hall?"
Yanfang bent over, took two steps back, left Du Wulang's hand, and said: "I am a servant who has too much eyesight but too little skill. Please forgive me, Jilang."
While they were talking, the third steward also came over, bowed and took away the inkstone.
Du Wulang stood there in a daze, thinking that he tried to change the fate of a slave, but seemed to have failed.
~~
"It's easy to change a slave's fate, but it's difficult to change the current situation."
When Du Wulang returned to Luoyang and told Xue Bai about the matter, Xue Bai's reaction was very dull, as if he had expected it, and he comforted him and said: "At least you changed my destiny."
"Hey, your Majesty, stop talking nonsense. You didn't really become a book boy back then." Du Wulang said: "Now that I have failed, what will you do with the 'model' you want?"
"I'm not just looking for one, I've asked people to search for a group of slaves who are good at studying." Xue Bai said: "This matter is not difficult, but unfortunately, there are too few slaves with great perseverance, and there is no suitable one yet."
"What kind of perseverance?"
"You must have the courage to resist the class oppression that has been formed for thousands of years, face the injustice of power and fate, and still not bow down under the heavy burden. There are very few such people, very few."
Du Wulang said: "Do you still have to be such a slave?"
"Otherwise, how can we call it typical?"
Du Wulang thought to himself that he had only seen one such person in his life, and it was indeed difficult to find him.
The matter seemed to have passed like this, until a month later, he went to the Cui family's villa for business. It was Cui Dong who had returned from a study tour, brought a few friends with him, and invited Du Wulang to go to Jinping Mountain to discuss poetry.
~~
"Cui Dong, I feel very strange when I come here this time."
"What's strange?"
"Your maids look at me strangely."
When Cui Dong heard this, he laughed loudly and said, "Brother Ji, do you think they all have feelings for you?"
"That's not true." Du Wulang scratched his head and said, not knowing why, "They seem to think I am not a good person."
Cui Dongdao: "I have never met a better person than Jilang in my life."
When everyone arrived at the Yashe, the children of the Cui family also brought some friends over. After talking and laughing, they all said that Cui Dong was good at poetry and asked him to write a poem for one of them. The other person's surname was Yuan, a school clerk from the Secretary's Department.
Cui Dong just pondered for a moment and then started composing a poem.
"The old books are slightly exposed to the dust, and the solitary guest feels this in the autumn. The Qin people are the disciples, and the Huaiyin people laugh at the people in the city."
The school secretary named Yuan was sitting there, but he glanced at Du Wulang several times.
Du Wulang was just waiting to cheer when he suddenly received a blow on the head.
"Ouch."
He looked down and saw that it was a stone.
Everyone turned around and saw a figure trying to escape. The Cui family disciples yelled and cursed, asking people to take down the "assassin" who dared to hit people on the head with stones.
After a lot of yelling, a slave from another courtyard was escorted over.
"Why are you throwing stones at your guests?!"
"Bah! Who wouldn't have known that this beast surnamed Ji always gave up, and it made Chunlan's belly so big that she drowned in the river..."
"What did you say? Who got pregnant?" Du Wulang looked confused, "Did you throw the stone incorrectly?"
"Beast, I will fight with you!"
Du Wulang originally thought that the other person was scolding someone else, but he didn't expect that it was actually directed at him, and he was even more shocked.
Suddenly, he thought of something and turned around, looking left and right, looking for Cui Jing.
"Chunlan? Could it be that Chunlan is that..."
Halfway through his words, Du Wulang quickly stopped his mouth, realizing that these words would be misunderstood.
But Cui Jing had already stood up and replied: "Yes, Chunlan is the maid who slept with you, Brother Ji. She is dead."
"What?" Du Wulang said, "But I didn't touch her."
Cui Jing said: "Brother Ji, don't worry, these cheap maids are causing trouble..."
"That's enough!" Cui Dong stood up and shouted, "Cui Shisan, I'll break your legs!"
"Brother, what do you mean? You brought a friend to your house, something happened, and the Cui family didn't want him to do anything."
"Don't think I don't know your little tricks." Cui Dong said: "Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down, and I will go and invite my grandfather!"
"Calm down, everyone."
The Cui family's children stood up one after another and pulled Cui Dong to comfort him.
"It's a trivial matter, why bother to harm the peace over a trivial matter. Someone, drag this bitch down."
"Brother Ji, please calm down. It's the Cui family that doesn't discipline their servants well."
Immediately, several people came forward to accuse Du Wulang, but he looked at the slave who was about to be dragged down and said, "Wait a minute, he didn't mean it, and he didn't really hurt me. Please spare him."
"Yoshiro is such a straightforward and forthright man. Come on, let me toast you."
Everyone wanted to put the matter to rest and praised Du Wulang repeatedly, quickly adjusting the atmosphere to a harmonious atmosphere.
Cui Dong saw this matter clearly.
Cui Jing must have had sex after drinking again, and got involved with the maid at home. The Cui family is a well-dressed family and prohibits such things. So Cui Jing was afraid of being punished, so he came up with such a crooked trick. I don’t know why.
How did you deceive the maid? Maybe she lied to her and said, "Don't you want your identity? Lord Yoshiro wants to take you as his concubine" or something like that, and put the matter on Ji Ji.
Sure enough, while he was still thinking, Cui Jing had already pulled him and pulled him aside.
"Brother, I was wrong. Please let me go this time, otherwise my grandfather will really beat me to death."
"You also know that you will die, so how dare you do it."
"It's not my fault, brother, that you brought such a stupid friend back, he seems to be easy to use."
"Try saying something again." Cui Dong was extremely disgusted with this disciple.
"Okay, okay." Cui Jing quickly comforted him: "It won't happen to him. It would be fatal to have this matter on me, but it would be a good thing to have it on him. Just saying that Chunlan admires him will only add glory to him."
"A human life is so light in your eyes?"
"I was wrong."
Cui Jing quickly admitted his mistake, but thought to himself, how much money is Chunlan worth?
"But brother, I can't tell your friend that the Cui family's children framed him, right? It's better to say that Chunlan admired him and recommended herself to the pillow, then jumped into the river and died, and was passed on by the servants. He was drunk that day, and he really thought he had spoken.
Ask me for the maidservant."
Cui Dong said: "Will he believe it?"
"Of course, a man likes to hear people say that women admire him." Cui Jing whispered: "I heard that he has a great status, and the Cui family cannot let him have trouble. If something happens, we will
How can I admit it to myself?"
"you!"
Just as Cui Dong was about to have an attack, a servant came over and said, "Thirty-nine Masters, Alang calls you over."