Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 604: Aristocratic Family
That night, the Cui family sent Du Wulang a servant. Cui Jing liked to get him drinking, so Du Wulang drank a few more glasses and inevitably got drunk.

He always boasted that he could drink much better than Xue Bai, but he ended up waking up from his hangover in the evening of the next day.

"What kind of wine is this? It tastes sweet and is so strong." He muttered, squinting his eyes that were difficult to open, and feeling the red glow in the room.

"To answer Mr. Ji's question, it is Sichuan wine. As the saying goes, 'Shu wine is the strongest and the best.'"

Suddenly, a soft and sticky voice was heard beside me.

Du Wulang was so frightened that he felt something smooth and delicate on the back of his hand, and he sobered up immediately.

When he turned around, he saw a young lady lying next to him. Judging from her hair, she must be a servant of the Cui family.

"I, I, I...Who are you? Why are you here with me?"

"It was Ji Langjun who asked the master to give this servant to you."

"Did I say that?"

"Yes."

Du Wulang had often heard Xue Bai and Yan Quanming talk about this kind of thing, but he didn't believe it, thinking that there was no such good thing. But now that he had encountered it, he didn't think it was a good thing at first, but felt that it was troublesome.

This must have been arranged by Cui Dong, otherwise, could it be that this woman fell in love with him at first sight? Although he has a good-looking appearance, it is not possible to be like this.

He had a vague feeling that Cui Dong might have discovered his identity.

"Last night." Du Wulang asked in a low voice: "I didn't, didn't I?"

He then took a closer look at the other person's appearance. He was not handsome, but had delicate features, was thin and dark, and looked very honest. But when his eyes occasionally flashed, he seemed to have a shrewd feeling.

Compared to the irresistible charm of Da Xi Yingying whom he had met many years ago, the little girl in front of him was not very attractive.

The maid hesitated slightly and shook her head.

"Then you should get out quickly... Hey, wait, put on your clothes."

After a lot of effort, Du Wulang watched the maid put on her clothes and run out, and he sighed.

When he met Cui Dong, he couldn't help but ask about this matter.

Cui Dong heard this and responded, "Forty-three-year-old said that you asked him for it."

"I asked for it?"

Du Wulang was stunned. He was surprised at first that the other party gave it to him as soon as he asked for it. Then he thought about it carefully and realized that he didn't remember anything after getting drunk last night.

"But I'm talking about a servant, not a maid, right?"

"I know." Cui Dong frowned slightly and said, "I think Forty-three-lang misunderstood what I meant."

"What does this mean?"

Cui Dong was somewhat embarrassed and whispered, "The Cui family has strict family education, and certain habits are forbidden in other businesses."

"What hobby?" Du Wulang didn't react immediately, but he understood later and said hurriedly, "You don't think I want that servant because... I just saw that he studies hard and has ambitions, so I want to help him."

"I know. Brother Ji and I share the same aspirations. How could I not know what kind of person you are?" Cui Dong said, "So I said Cui Jing misunderstood. He was afraid that you would mess around in your other home, so he arranged for a maid to accompany you."

"I didn't." Du Wulang had a lot to say, but unfortunately he only had a stupid mouth.

Cui Dong said: "This is Cui Jing's fault. He has never been a good person. I will definitely let my uncle teach him a lesson."

While they were talking, Cui Jing also came over and mentioned this matter. He pretended to be surprised and said, "Brother Ji, you are going too far. If you hadn't asked me, why would I, a descendant of a famous family, act like a tortoise when I have nothing to ask of you?"

“Where did you learn these dirty words?!” Cui Dong’s face turned stern and he shouted angrily, then turned around to find his elders to complain.

"Brother, don't be like this. Brother Ji, please help me stop him."

Seeing this, Du Wulang was not sure whether what Cui Jing said was true or not, so he stepped forward and grabbed Cui Dong, saying, "Don't make a big deal out of this."

"Brother Ji, you don't know that my cousin is used to misbehaving. I didn't want to care about him, but my uncle asked me to discipline him. If I indulge him, I don't know how many bad habits he will develop in the future."

Du Wulang said, "I'm not trying to indulge him, but if things get out of hand, it won't be good for the maid."

"Haha." Cui Jing laughed and said, "Brother Ji is very kind and gentle to women."

"No, no." Du Wulang waved his hand and said, "I really didn't touch her. As long as you believe me, don't let anyone else know about this."

He actually knew that if the news got out, it would be nothing more than a romantic affair for them, but it would be like the end of the world for that unknown maid.

Cui Jing raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "Okay, I believe Brother Ji, if you say I didn't touch you, then I didn't touch you."

"Look at you, smiling so frivolously, but you still look like a kid from an aristocratic family." Cui Dong scolded him a few more times.

That's how it happened.

Cui Dong did not allow Cui Jing to go out with him and Du Wulang again. Three days later, he did ask for the inkstone and gave it to Du Wulang.

Different from the time when the Du family took in Xue Bai, this time they were officially transferring slaves and a contract had to be signed.

First, the Cui family and Du Wulang wrote a private deed and found a guarantor. The identities of the buyer, seller and the guarantor were clearly stated on the private deed. Then, they took the private deed to the Shou'an County government office to apply for an official deed.

~~
Shouan County Office.

The county chief clerk was named Zong Han. He looked at the document in front of him, stroked his beard and said, "Ji Ji? I'm afraid this person's household registration document is wrong."

The clerk beside him whispered, "The Luoyang Prefecture has sent someone to explain to the county magistrate that there is no need to check Ji Ji's identity."

"Oh?" Zong Han said, "It was just a transfer of a slave, but it alarmed Luoyang Prefecture? This person is not simple."

"If it were simple, how could the Cui family please him? Such a young slave who knows how to write could be sold for fifty strings of cash."

Zong Han also wanted to make friends with this Ji Langjun, so he nodded and said, "Let's do it."

"Here."

Normally, as the chief clerk, he would not easily take care of such trivial matters. However, since this time it involved an important figure, Zong Han took charge of it personally and asked the county officials to follow the procedures and summon all the people.

Including the three managers of the Cui family, the guarantor, and Yan Fang.

Du Wulang could have just sent an attendant, but he came in person, and Cui Dong accompanied him as he entered the county office for the first time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to Tang law, slaves must be physically examined before they are sold to confirm that they are untouchables, in order to prevent good people from being illegally sold. Sorry for the offense."

"please."

The county official then asked the third manager a few simple questions, which were nothing more than how the Cui family came to own the servant Yan Fang.

"My Lord, the Yanfang family has been slaves of the Cui family for generations." The third steward replied calmly.

Yan Fang 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 a question yet, it's not time for you to speak yet."

If it were any other servant, they would have been frightened into silence by such a glare from him. However, Yan Fang was a proud and arrogant person who wanted to take the imperial examination. He turned his head and glanced at Du Wulang. Seeing that Du Wulang supported him, he started talking anyway.

"Perhaps the Third Steward remembered it wrongly. My family used to live in Xiangshui Village, Shou'an County. It was because of a famine that my grandfather sold himself to the Cui Mansion. We were not slaves for generations."

"Oh?"

Zong Han was originally sitting there, stroking his long beard and doing his job in a businesslike manner. Upon hearing this, his eyes widened and he stared at Yan Fang and said, "You have to think it through. Are you sure you remembered it correctly?"

Yan Fang didn't understand why the county magistrate didn't ask the third manager whether he remembered it wrong, but instead asked himself.

"I'm sure."

Zong Han stroked his long beard, stole a glance at that "Ji Langjun", and moved his eyes left and right, seeming a little unsure.

He thought about it and gave the clerk a look. The clerk called over the third manager and whispered in his ear, "Didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"Alas." The third steward also had a bitter face, "The master had good intentions to give this lowly servant a good way out, but who would have thought that he would go crazy in the county court."

"Then you talk to him."

"Yes."

The third steward approached Yan Fang unhappily and whispered, "I know you're itchy, but if you want to follow Ji Langjun, you'd better admit that you're a pariah."

Over there, Du Wulang couldn't hear what these people were mumbling about, so he couldn't help but ask Cui Dong, "What's wrong?"

Cui Dong smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Ji, please follow me."

The two of them then left the room and walked aside.

"what happened?"

Cui Dong said: "When buying, selling or giving away slaves, the slaves must personally confirm that they are pariahs to prevent the abduction of innocent people."

"I know." Du Wulang said, "Isn't Yan Fang a lowly person?"

Cui Dong hesitated for a while before saying, "Yan Fang's family couldn't survive. They were penniless, naked, and skinny that year, and Yan Fang almost starved to death. The Cui family helped them and gave them land, so they asked to be managed, hoping to become slaves and work for the Cui family. This is also the rule of the Cui family, only using their own people who share honor and disgrace. But... Tang law strictly prohibits selling good people for slaves, and buying good people as slaves will be strangled."

"So, this matter is against the law." Du Wulang said, "How did the Yanfang family go from being a good family to being a poor family?"

Cui Dong sighed, "Brother Ji is also from a high-ranking family, don't you really know? How many officials in the world really follow the Tang Code?"

Du Wulang was speechless.

He suddenly realized that he was not as kind as he thought.

When the Du family took Xue Bai in, they did not sign a contract, but rather hired him. At that time, Du Wulang was still young and treated Xue Bai like a friend. But what if the Liu Ji case had not happened?

If it weren't for the Liu Ji case, as time went on, the Du family would have seen that Xue Bai was an escaped official slave, so they would have made some arrangements, gone to the government office or the municipal office to get some menial paperwork, and thus turned her into a slave of the Du family for generations.

The Jingzhao Du family was actually no different from other wealthy families, except that Du Youlin was a minor branch of the family. As a member of the Eastern Palace's faction during those years, they had to be careful in what they said and did.

Cui Dong patted Du Wulang on the shoulder and sighed, "So, I don't like these career and economic matters. Brother Ji and I are the same kind of people. We can't stand seeing others suffer. We won't achieve much. Let's just be idle clouds and wild cranes together."

Du Wulang also sighed, not knowing what to do.

He knew that Xue Bai wanted to abolish slavery now, and what the Cui family did to the Yanfang family was a typical example. But everyone in the world did the same, including all his close relatives in the Du family.

Now, should he not restrain his relatives first, but punish Cui Dong instead?

Cui Dong said this to him completely out of trust.

~~
In the official residence, Zong Han stroked his long beard and looked at Yan Fang indifferently.

The county chief clerk did not say a word, but brought enormous pressure to the servant.

The third manager threatened Yan Fang a few more times in his ear.

"Think it over before you answer. Tang law strictly forbids good people from becoming slaves. Anyone who makes a good person a slave will be hanged!"

Yan Fang's lips turned pale. He turned around and looked outside the door. He saw Cui Dong and that Ji Langjun talking with their arms around each other, looking very close.

He became increasingly uneasy.

"According to the law, the gift of a slave needs your personal confirmation to prevent the slave from being taken as a slave." Zong Han spoke again, "Yan Fang, let me ask you, are you a slave?"

Yan Fang knew that only by admitting that she was a slave could she be transferred to Ji Langjun, who would then help her in the imperial examinations and her career, thus changing her fate of being a slave for generations.

If he gave another answer, it would be reporting the Cui family for kidnapping innocent people to the government. This would offend the host family greatly. The government would not touch a hair of the Cui family, but the Cui family could kill him with just a finger.

He licked his lips and prepared to answer, but suddenly his mind recalled his grandfather's timid look.

Perhaps his grandfather had also knelt down here humbly in the past, and now he had to follow in his grandfather's footsteps... what else could he do?

How can we change our fate? Can we change it by studying?

"Yan Fang, are you a bitch?"

"Replying to the county magistrate, this slave is a lowly person."

Over there, Du Wulang and Cui Dong came over. Zong Han glanced at them briefly and continued to question them in a businesslike manner.

"Are you sure you weren't abducted and made a slave? You are a slave, and have been owned by the Cui family for generations, right?"

"Yes."

"In this way, the county office has completed the verification and confirmed that the private deed is legal." Zong Han picked up the application form for the city certificate from the desk, picked up a pen and wrote down the verification of the official office on it, then picked up the official seal and breathed a sigh of relief.

Once the seal is stamped on it, the inkstone becomes the property of "Ji Ji".

"My dear, I don't want to leave!"

Yan Fang suddenly spoke, turned to Cui Dong, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying: "Please don't give me to Ji Langjun, I just want to stay in Cui's house."

"Why are you doing this?" Cui Dong asked in confusion, "I know you like to study and you want to pursue a career in politics. Although I strongly disagree with such utilitarianism, since Brother Ji is willing to help you, it is your good fortune, and I can make this happen."

"I don't want to leave the Cui family." Yan Fang burst into tears and said, "I beg you to let me stay!"

Du Wulang stood aside, watching the servant boy knocking his head loudly, and suddenly thought of his former servant Duan Inkstone.

In the fifth year of Tianbao, before Duan Yan was beaten to death, he was still shouting, "Release Wu Lang!"

He had always felt that Duan Yan and he had a deep relationship as master and servant, but at this moment, he suddenly realized that Duan Yan did that only because he was bound by his status as a lowly slave.

It was not Ji Wen's son who tied up Duan Inkstone with a rope, but the cruel and strict hierarchy. A servant boy could not protect his master and had to die.

And what about him? For more than ten years, he still pretended to be kind, thinking that they had a deep sense of loyalty. Imagine, if Duan Yan was a good man, would he really be willing to give up his life for others?
Du Wulang originally thought that today he would have a servant named Yanfang to make up for the regrets of the past. But now, he suddenly felt that this matter was boring.

"Forget it, Cui Dong, if he doesn't want to, don't give him to me."

Cui Dong said: "Yan Fang, have you made up your mind? Do you want to follow my younger brother or Brother Ji?"

He almost said it directly, Cui Jing was not a good master, and let Yan Fang make the choice.

Yan Fang said without hesitation: "I don't want to leave the Cui family!"

As a result, the written contract was invalidated again, and the third manager apologized to the county office and took the person away again.

Zong Han looked at their backs, sneered, and said to himself: "Are you kidding me?"

"That's right. A slave can waste so much of your time." said the clerk.

"What do you know?" Zong Han picked up the court report and took a look. He flicked his hand and muttered, "This is just like the court's new policy. It's just a joke."

~~
"Yan Fang, I know what you are thinking."

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 person on the market certificate, right? Your family is originally a good man, and you want to participate in the imperial examination with this identity. Don't worry, I will help you."

"Ji Langjun has misunderstood. I do not want to take part in the imperial examinations again."

"Why?" Du Wulang was very surprised.

Yan Fang muttered, "I didn't even understand the Tang law. Today I realized that I was too naive before. I dare not have any more extravagant hopes."

"What are you talking about? Let me take a look at the paper. I don't ask you to pass the imperial examination, as long as you can pass the Tongshi examination. This Tongshi examination is the threshold for becoming a scholar, and the court can let you escape from the status of a lowly person."

"I can't answer a single question." Yan Fang said, "I finally got into the Cui family. Why would I have to take an exam just to get out of the family? I haven't repaid the Cui family for their kindness yet."

Du Wulang was very puzzled and asked, "Why are you like this all of a sudden? Did the steward say something to you in the hall?"

Yan Fang bent down, took two steps back, and left Du Wulang's hand, saying, "It is my fault that I have high expectations but low skills. Please forgive me, Jilang."

As they were talking, the third steward came over, bowed, and took Yan Fang away.

Du Wulang stood there in a daze for a while, thinking that he had tried to change the fate of a slave, but seemed to have failed.

~~
"It is easy to change the fate of a slave, but it is difficult to change the current situation."

When Du Wulang returned to Luoyang and told Xue Bai about this, Xue Bai's reaction was very calm, as if he had expected it. He even comforted him, saying, "At least you changed my fate."

"Ah, Your Majesty, please stop talking nonsense. You didn't really work as a servant back then." Du Wulang said, "Now that I've messed up, what about the 'model' you wanted?"

"I'm not looking for just one. I asked someone to find a group of slaves who are good at reading." Xue Bai said, "This is not difficult, but unfortunately, there are too few slaves with great perseverance. There is no suitable one yet."

"What kind of great perseverance?"

"There are very few people who dare to resist the class oppression that has been formed for thousands of years, and who do not bow their heads under the heavy burdens of power and injustice of fate."

Du Wulang asked, "Do you still have to be such a servant?"

"Otherwise, how can it be called typical?"

Du Wulang thought that he had only seen one such person in his life, and it was indeed hard to find one.

The incident seemed to have passed like this, until a month later, when he went to Cui's villa again for business. Cui Dong had returned from his study tour and brought a few friends with him to invite Du Wulang to discuss poetry at Jinping Mountain.

~~
"Cui Dong, I feel very strange when I come here this time."

"What's so strange?"

"The way your maids look at me is just weird."

Cui Dong laughed loudly when he heard this and said, "Brother Ji, do you think they all have feelings for you?"

"That's not the case." Du Wulang scratched his head, not knowing why, and said, "They seem to think I'm not a good person."

Cui Dong said, "I have never seen a better person than Ji Lang in my life."

When they arrived at Yashe, the children of the Cui family also brought some friends over. After chatting and laughing, they all said that Cui Dong was a good poet and asked him to write a poem for one of them. The other person's surname was Yuan, and he was a proofreader in the Secretariat.

Cui Dong just pondered for a moment and then started to compose a poem.

"The old book has been removed from the dust, and the lonely traveler feels sad when the autumn comes. Qindi mistakenly regarded him as a guest of the sect, Huaiyin just laughed at the people in the market."

The proofreader named Yuan was sitting there, but he glanced at Du Wulang several times.

Du Wulang was about to cheer when he was suddenly hit 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 members then shouted and cursed, ordering someone to capture the "assassin" who dared to hit people on the head with stones.

After some shouting and yelling, a servant from another courtyard was brought over.

"Why are you throwing stones at guests?!"

"Bah! Everyone knows that this beast named Ji abandoned Chunlan after having sex with her. He made Chunlan pregnant and caused her to jump into the river..."

"What did you say? Who got whose pregnant?" Du Wulang looked puzzled. "Did you throw the stone wrong?"

"Beast, I'm going to fight you!"

Du Wulang originally thought that the other party was scolding someone else, but he didn't expect that it was actually directed at him, which made him extremely shocked.

Suddenly, he thought of something and looked around, looking for Cui Jing.

"Chunlan? Could it be that Chunlan is the ..."

Du Wulang stopped talking halfway, realizing that what he said would lead to misunderstanding.

But Cui Jing had already stood up and answered, "Yes, Chunlan is the maidservant who slept with you, brother Ji, before. She is dead."

"What?" Du Wulang said, "But I didn't touch her."

Cui Jing said: "Brother Ji, don't worry, these slaves are causing trouble..."

“That’s enough!” Cui Dong slammed the table and stood up, shouting, “Cui Forty-three, I’m going to break your legs!”

"Brother, what do you mean? You brought your friend home, and something happened, but the Cui family didn't ask him to do anything."

"Don't think I don't know your little tricks." Cui Dong said, "Kneel down in the ancestral hall. I will go and invite my grandfather!"

"Calm down, everyone."

The Cui family members stood up one after another and pulled Cui Dong to comfort him.

"It's just a small matter. Why should we hurt the harmony over such a small matter? Come, drag this slave away."

"Brother Ji, calm down. It's the Cui family that doesn't discipline their servants well."

Immediately, several people came forward to apologize to Du Wulang, but he looked at the servant who was about to be dragged away and said, "Wait a minute, he didn't do it on purpose, and he didn't really hurt me, let him go."

"Ji Lang is such a straightforward and generous man. Come, I'll toast you a glass."

Everyone wanted to calm things down and praised Du Wulang repeatedly, and soon the atmosphere was adjusted to be harmonious.

Cui Dong, however, saw this matter clearly.

Cui Jing must have gotten drunk and had sex with a maid. The Cui family was a well-dressed family and such things were forbidden. So, fearing being punished, Cui Jing came up with this crooked trick. I don't know how he tricked the maid, maybe he lied to her and said, "Don't you want a status? Mr. Ji wants to take you as a concubine," and put the blame on Ji Ji.

Sure enough, while he was still thinking, Cui Jing pulled him and pulled him aside.

"Brother, I was wrong. Please let me go this time, or my grandfather will really beat me to death."

"You also know that you will die, so you still dare."

"It's all your fault, brother, for bringing back such a stupid friend. He looks easy to use."

"Just say that again." Cui Dong was extremely disgusted with this cousin.

"Alright, alright." Cui Jing quickly comforted him, "He won't be in any trouble. If it happened to me, it would be fatal. But if it happened to him, it would be a good thing. Just saying that Chunlan admires him would only add to his glory."

"A human life, is it so light in your eyes?"

"It is my fault."

Cui Jing quickly admitted his mistake, but thought to himself, Chunlan is only worth a few coins.

"But you can't tell your friend that the Cui family's son framed him, right? It's better to say that Chunlan admired him so much that she offered herself to him, and then jumped into the river and died, and the servants spread rumors. He was drunk that day and really thought he asked me for the maid."

Cui Dong asked, "Will he believe it?"

"Of course, men like to hear that women admire them." Cui Jing whispered, "I heard that he is very important, and the Cui family cannot afford to let him get any evidence against us. If something goes wrong, how can we admit it ourselves?"

"you!"

Cui Dong was about to get angry when a servant came over and said, "Sanshijiulang, Alang is calling you over."

(End of this chapter)