The New Year in Chang'an is obviously much deserted than Taiyuan. Although every household also erects flags and sticks talismans, and the sound of firecrackers occasionally came from the city, the pedestrians bowed their heads and walked in a hurry. Everyone seemed to be worried and had no comfort and joy at the New Year.
The troubles of the world.
On the first day of the first lunar month, the front of Pingkangfang was very quiet in the early morning. Every household was busy sacrificing their ancestors. A man who looked like a friend leaned his head and looked at both sides. He confirmed that nothing was abnormal, so he turned around and waved.
A tall and thin man rode out of the alley like the wind and ran towards the gate of Pingkangfang. This man was Yang Rong. He stayed in the Magnolia Building in Pingkangfang last night. The Magnolia Building is a famous brothel in Chang'an.
Yang Rong's relationship is the red-card courtesan of this brothel.
After returning from Huining County, Yang Rong's son had no peace for a day. He owed a sky-high gambling debt in Jucai Gambling Hall, and the backstage of Jucai Gambling Hall was Dugu, which was not something he could afford.
It piled up day by day, and it was already making him breathless.
Not only gambling debts, he owed as much as 1,000 taels of silver in Magnolia Building, and there are several other brothels, and he also bears huge debts.
Not long ago, he borrowed a huge sum of 1,000 taels of gold from a mysterious man. He used this huge sum of money to pay off his debt, but the gambling hall smelled the smell and began to pursue him, forcing Yang Rong almost to
There is no way out.
As soon as Yang Rong rushed out of the gate of Pingkangfang, he suddenly ran out of the slant, with dozens of people. He rode his horse and surrounded Yang Rong in an instant.
Yang Rong was so scared that his heart was about to break open. This was the black-clad debt collector at Jucai Gambler. He was cruel and vicious. There were countless people who died at their hands, which made Chang'an change it when he heard about it.
Yang Rong was trying hard to avoid them these days, but he didn't expect to be blocked. At this time, a black-faced manager urged him to step forward and bowed, "Where is General Yang going?"
Yang Rong restrained the tension in his heart. He swallowed, and bowed, "I am on duty today. I want to rush to the East Palace. Please ask Manager Ma to give way, so don't delay official duties!"
Manager Ma sneered, "Did I get it wrong? Or is General Yang forgetful, I will remind you that you are on duty tonight, and it's still early!"
Yang Rong's face changed drastically, and he even found out when he was on duty. Is this going to force himself to death? He also became angry.
"Manager Ma, what are you going to do?"
Manager Ma said calmly: "It is natural to pay back the debt. If you owe so much gambling debt, you should have an explanation! General Yang, my son is also very sad!"
"I have no money now. Why do you ask me to pay it back? Even if you force me to death, I can't afford it."
"No money?"
Manager Ma sneered. "What's the matter with the Qianyin in Baiyu Building? There are Baihongyuan and Ruyi Building, where did those white silver come from? Mr. Yang actually said he had no money. I really don't understand. Could it be that
Is it true that Mr. Yang doesn’t want to give Jucaiguan face? Or do he think that Jucaiguan’s backend is too weak. He wants to pay the debt directly, yes! Then let’s go to the prince to ask for the account.”
Manager Ma's threat of nakedness made Yang Rong short of his anger. He remembered the backstage of the gambling hall. It was someone who even the prince dared not offend, let alone a little bit of a person like him. If the matter is really passed on to the prince, he would be
I can't stay in the East Palace anymore.
"I'm really nervous now. Can Manager Ma be given a grace for another three days?"
"Hmph! We have been lenient for you for three months. It's okay to lenient for three days, but I want to remind you, Mr. Yang, today is the first day of the first lunar month, and it is also an interest settlement. If you don't pay it back today, the interest will be filled.
Do you know how much it is?”
Yang Rong's face turned pale, and he slowly lowered his head, and his voice had no strength, "I know!"
"Just know, take care of yourself!"
Manager Ma waved his hand and said, "Go!"
Dozens of debt collectors in black plucked their horses and left, and in a moment they left clean and disappeared.
Yang Rong waited for them to walk away before he let out a long sigh, but when he thought of the interest, he felt like he was going to die.
What to do? Yang Rong bit his lip, turned his horse's head and ran towards Chongrenfang.
.........
The atmosphere of the New Year in Zheng Mansion this year is also relatively dull, but for wealthy families, even the most dull New Year will have some actions, such as lanterns, erecting banners and sticking talismans, cleaning the mansion, rewarding the people, etc. The Zheng family is not
Being behind, doing everything you need to do...
What is missing is just a little festive atmosphere, but this cannot be blamed on the Zheng family. The atmosphere of the entire Tang Dynasty is suppressed, so how can the people be happy?
Mrs. Zheng got up very early, her hair was combed firmly, and her clothes were dressed neatly. Today is the first day of the first lunar month. She was waiting for her two sons to come. The eldest son was on vacation at home, and the second son was on duty at night. She should have time during the day.
Mrs. Zheng has been waiting for several months and is looking forward to reunion with her sons this day.
The Zheng Mansion was very quiet. The Zheng family gathered to the Houzhai ancestral hall to hold the worship of ancestors on the first day of the first lunar month. At this time, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. Mrs. Zheng's jing spirit suddenly cheered up and said to the maid:
"Go and see if the eldest son is here."
The maid went out, and a family member was taken to the yard for a moment. This was the housekeeper in Yang Jun's mansion. He bowed and said, "The master asked me to report to the old lady. Today is the first day of the first lunar month. According to the custom, the lady wants to go back.
My parents' home, so the master also has to accompany him. I can't come today, so please understand my wife."
Mrs. Zheng's heart suddenly became cold, and her eyes were extremely disappointed. After a while, she asked, "What about tomorrow? Can you come tomorrow?"
"The master said he would go for three days and he would talk about it when he came back from the fourth day of the day."
Mrs. Zheng was speechless and sighed for a while: "Azhu, I would like to reward Mr. He for giving me two hangs of money."
"Thank you, the old lady, that villain said goodbye."
The housekeeper left, Mrs. Zheng sat facing the wall, her eyes gradually turned red. This was the eldest son who ignored him. Could she really want to spend the rest of her life alone?
At this time, another rushing footsteps came. The maid exclaimed, "The second young master is here."
Mrs. Zheng was immediately overjoyed, quickly wiped away her tears and came out. She was stunned as soon as she went out. She saw her second son Yang Rong kneeling in the yard and constantly wiped her tears. "Mom, you want to save your child's life!"
"What happened...?" Mrs. Zheng felt a sense of inadequacy in her heart.
Yang Rong cried and said, "The child owed a debt outside and could no longer hide. I beg my mother to save me!"
Mrs. Zheng felt dizzy and almost fell down. The maid hurriedly held her. "Madam! Madam!"
Mrs. Zheng's heart was as if she was shattered. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, her son actually came to force her to ask for money. What kind of evil did she commit? She actually gave birth to such a evil deed. After a while, she held back the pain in her heart and said slowly: "Today
It's Yuanri, don't you know?"
"The boy knows, but there is no way! Who can save me except my mother?"
"shut up!"
Mrs. Zheng could no longer help but feel the pain in her heart and angrily scolded him: "I just hated myself for saving you for the first time. Every time you said you wanted to repent, but when did you repent? You said yourself, you are
The time it was the time. It wasn't enough to force me to ask for money, so I came to steal, rob, and moved all my valuable things away. What else do you want?"
Yang Rong kowtowed and cried. "My son is incompetent and has no backstage power. He has been tricked by others but is powerless to resist. If I don't get rid of it, I will have no way out."
After all, it was her own son. Mrs. Zheng finally felt soft-hearted. She sighed and turned to the maid and said, "Get my sandalwood box."
Mrs. Zheng had a lot of money in her hands, but when she left the Yang family, she returned it to her husband, and only brought her own little savings. She liked to collect jewelry and really saved a lot of good goods, but she couldn't stand her son's repeated attacks.
, there is not much left.
After a moment, the maid took out the sandalwood box. Mrs. Zheng took the sandalwood box, opened it and looked at it, "There are more than a dozen jewelry pieces in it, and I have only these. They are all my dowry items back then.
, worth about 5,000 to 6,000 guan, I will pay it back! I hope you will change your past mistakes from now on and become a new person.”
Yang Rong heard that there were only more than 5,000 guan, and he was extremely disappointed. He couldn't even pay off his gambling debts. He cried again, "Mom, it's really not enough! Not even 100, I
Still unable to escape death.”
When Mrs. Zheng heard that even one percent of her debt was not enough, she suddenly became dark in front of her and she fainted on the ground.
"Madam! Madam!" The maid shook Mrs. Zheng desperately.
Yang Rong took a quick step forward and grabbed the sandalwood box from his mother's hand and ran away. No matter how many, it would be a little bit more. I'll come again next time.
.........
When Mrs. Zheng slowly woke up, she was already lying on the bed. The doctor had already arrived. The problem was not big, it was just a weak fire.
But Mrs. Zheng found that the head of the family, Zheng Shanguo, was also sitting beside her. She felt sad in her heart, turned her head and tears flowed out in a daze.
Zheng Shanguo sighed and said, "Sister, don't be too surprised by Rong'er. He is really in a state of anxiety now. It's not a forced one, and he won't come to ask for money in Yuanri Chuyi."
Since Zheng Shanguo learned last time that Yang Rong kept forcing his mother to ask for money, he had a solution in his mind, and perhaps he could use Yang Rong to achieve his goal for him. Zheng Shanguo's goal was to ask Mrs. Zheng to go to Taiyuan to find a way out for the Zheng family.
These days, he asked people to inquire everywhere, and finally got some details of Yang Rong's debt.
Sure enough, Zheng Shanguo's words made Mrs. Zheng stop crying suddenly. She wiped away her tears and asked, "What's going on? Why did Rong'er have to?"
Zheng Shanguo smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, Rong'er doesn't owe much gambling debts, only 10,000 guan, but he borrowed a casino usury and has already dropped to 50,000 guan this year. If he doesn't pay it back today, he will get out.
It's 60,000 yuan, and the casino is very big, so I can't afford to mess with it."
Mrs. Zheng gritted her teeth and asked, "Who opened the casino, the emperor? She has forced people to this level."
"It's almost done. It's the gambling hall of Dugu's family. The key is that the prince heard it a little. He asked me if Yang Rong owed a lot of money outside. I covered it up. You must know that if the prince knew that something was going on, it would be fine.
, He definitely won't want Rong'er, and he will also implicate Jun'er, so this matter is quite serious."
Mrs. Zheng was a little panicked and asked quickly: "Third brother, what should you do about this?"
Zheng Shanguo sighed, "Actually, there is only one way out for them, big sister, you should understand what I mean."
Of course, Mrs. Zheng understood what he meant. She refused to agree last time because she didn't want to find Yang Yuanqing for the Zheng family, but now she is her two sons...
Mrs. Zheng finally sighed, "Okay! I'll tear off this old face and go to Taiyuan."