Written by | Shassie
During the Kangxi Dynasty, there was a man in Yunnan Province named Xu Linzha, who had been a Shangshu in the imperial court, but because he was framed, the national treasury was lost, and finally died of depression.
After Xu Linya's death, the relatives and friends and slaves who had been flattered by the usual days scattered, leaving only his wife Lady Xu and a young daughter, Jin Lian. The two were lonely and miserable, and their lives were not settled, so they left the capital and went to the Jiangnan area to join their relatives and friends, but they did not find them, so they had to work as domestic workers to live.
One day, someone introduced Mrs. Xu and Jin Lian to a family to work as maids, but what they didn't know was that their mother and daughter had fallen into a carefully laid trap.
At that time, a group of bandits in Yangzhou and Jinling in Jiangnan province specialized in the business of "raising thin horses". Many good women from poor families were abducted by them and made skinny horses, so that they suffered for life.
Raising skinny horses is actually abducting and selling young girls, and these bandits see handsome young girls, so they try to get them by trickery, ask someone to train their shapes, and teach piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, and orchestra, so that they can learn more and more. When he was fourteen or fifteen years old, he sold them to the families of officials and eunuchs and the families of the rich as concubines. These poor women called them "skinny horses" in black language.
In the family where Mrs. Xu's mother and daughter came, there was only one old lady in charge of the family, but there were dozens of servants and servants under her, and there were more than a dozen teachers, who were specifically responsible for teaching more than ten young girls. They are all well-behaved and delicate.
The old lady's house rules were very strict, and no man was allowed to step into the middle door for half a step. Mrs. Xu had doubts about this kind of family with only women and no boys, but the old lady prevaricated with lies, which made her believe in it, and finally agreed to let her daughter Jin Lian learn art with her.
After a few years, Jin Lian had turned sixteen years old, and her appearance was very moving, and she was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and no one among her companions could play and sing and dance.
Seeing that her daughter had reached the age of marriage, Mrs. Xu entrusted the old lady to help her choose a good son-in-law to end her husband's last wish.
The old lady readily agreed. Not long after, she said that a young prince was going on a blind date and asked Jin Lian to come out to meet her, but she put forward a condition, that is, Madame Xu could not be present.
Mrs. Xu felt very strange and thought that this was not the rule of a large family, but the old lady said that this was a custom of Jiangnan and could not be violated. For the sake of her daughter's happiness, Mrs. Xu had to make concessions and avoid it.
At night, Jin Lian went on a blind date with the old lady, but when she returned, she threw herself into Madame Xu's arms and cried.
Madame Xu was stunned and asked why. Jin Liancai cried and told the story of the incident.
It turned out that the old lady's words to them that there was a young man coming on a blind date were all lies. This time, the people who came here were some elderly but rich Jiangnan giants. They already had a large number of wives and concubines, and they just wanted to marry one more aunt and wife.
They walked up to Jin Lian, like picking goods, judging her, pointing out fat and thin, and even hugging and hugging in public, bidding on each other, like playthings.
When Jin Lian saw this, she was shy and anxious, but she was helpless. Finally, a bad old man who was sixty years away came out with a thousand taels of silver. The old lady was overjoyed, and repeatedly told Jin Lian not to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, asking her to become a concubine first, and then seek the main house, and wait until the old man's legs were kicked, and the family wealth was her own.
Frightened, Jin Lian lost her face, flicked her sleeves on the spot, and quickly ran to her mother, Madame Xu, and told her what had happened.
At this time, the old lady chased after her with a group of evil servants, and without saying a word, she locked Jin Lian in an empty room, and wanted to force Lady Xu to obey. But Madame Xu was not moved, but repeatedly asked the old lady to show mercy and let them leave.
Who knew that the old lady said in a yin and yang strange way: "It is easy to think that I let you go, in the past few years, you have eaten me and worn me, and the silver you have spent is not less than two hundred taels." If you can take it out now, I'll let you go right away." After saying that, he ordered the people to drive Lady Xu out.
Lady Xu walked on the street, and without relatives, she asked everyone about the location of the county court and went to the government to file a complaint of injustice. But the county commander listened to her confession, decided that she was a mad woman, and ordered someone to beat her out of the stick.
Mrs. Xu had no way to file a complaint, and her daughter was uncertain about her life and death, and she cried in the street in a hurry. At this time, an old woman pulled her aside and said, "You, a powerless widow, want to make enemies with them, not only will the lawsuit be lost, but you will also be killed." Do you know that up and down this gate, with them are all in cahoots, a hill of raccoons? ”
Mrs. Xu listened to the old woman's words, hurriedly stopped her tears, and asked her how she should be good. The old woman said, "Don't worry, these people are doing the business of raising skinny horses, and I have been hurt by them." I see that your origin is not ordinary, presumably there must be some craftsmanship, it is better to find a big door to do work first, and when you are familiar with the master, you may be able to ask him to avenge your injustice. ”
Mrs. Xu thought about it and told the old woman that she did not have any other craft, but was proficient in needlework and good at embroidery.
The old woman listened and said with great joy: "It is really an invincible road, the other day, Inspector Chen just asked me to find an embroidery lady." This is just an opportunity, please allow me to go back to you, and there will be news to you soon. ”
After two days, Madame Xu went to patrol the Yamen. The Inspector Lady saw that she was demure and liked it very much, so she asked her to teach her daughter, Miss Chen, to learn embroidery.
Lady Xu was originally born in Shuxiang Mendi, and her teaching of Lady Chen was very decent, and Lady Inspector fu was even more important to her, not only letting her live in the palace, but also talking to her.
One day, Mrs. Inspector and Mrs. Xu talked about the future of their daughter, Miss Chen. As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of her daughter Jin Lian, and she couldn't help but cry out loud.
Madame Inspector was horrified, and repeatedly asked the reason, asking her why she was crying so sadly, and Madame Xu told her all about her misfortune.
The Inspector Lady was furious and hurriedly asked her husband to come and tell him the matter in detail. Upon hearing this, the inspector immediately ordered the prefect and the county order to be summoned, and rebuked them, saying, "You are simply dereliction of duty, and within your jurisdiction, there is even such a thing as trafficking in human beings such as raising skinny horses." Now you are limited to quickly ascertaining the truth of the matter within two days, and then report to me again, otherwise you will not be spared! ”
All the officials looked at each other, fell to their knees together, listened to the inspector tell the details, and did not dare to protect anymore, and quickly went to destroy the old lady and the gang that raised thin horses, and none of the male and female prisoners could escape.
Under the orders of the inspectors, the officials of the prefectures and counties tried the case strictly overnight, punishing one cadre after another and sending hundreds of abducted women home. Lady Xu's daughter Jin Lian was also able to reunite with her.
Madame Xu took Jin Lian with her, went to the patrol gate to thank the inspector and his wife, and after thanking him repeatedly, she was preparing to leave. But the Inspector Lady said, "Don't leave, you will continue to stay in the house and help me teach my daughter together." As for Jin Lian, I will work with the Inspector to choose a dragon-riding concubine for her. ”
Soon, it was the autumn exam, and many students from the provincial city came to take the exam, two of whom had the best literary skills, and the inspector sent someone to inquire, and learned that one already had a wife, and a Zhao Sheng who was born in the cold door had not yet married a wife.
Therefore, the Inspector summoned Zhao Sheng alone to meet him, carefully inspected, and finally decided to give Jin Lian Xu to him, and also sent a part of the money copied from the skinny horse to Jin Lian as a dowry.
Later, Zhao Sheng went to the capital to participate in the examination and passed the jinshi in one fell swoop. Since then, their family has begun to prosper again, and Mrs. Xu has been able to enjoy her old age in peace.
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