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In the middle of the street stood a young man in gorgeous brocade robes, surrounded by six or seven burly men who looked like servants, all of them with burly builds and stern expressions.

On the ground, several women were lying in a mess, looking extremely miserable, with their hair disheveled like weeds and their clothes tattered to cover their bodies. The heavy handcuffs and shackles on their hands and feet flashed a cold metallic luster in the sunlight, and made dull clash sounds from time to time as they struggled weakly.

Judging from the skin color of these women, it is not difficult to infer that they are from the Western Regions. And the man in brocade robe, from his clothing and the temperament he exudes, clearly shows his identity as a Qin person.

At this time, the young man was whispering with several patrolmen in official uniforms who were doing routine patrols on the streets, his eyes filled with arrogance and commanding attitude.

A moment later, the man in brocade robe raised his hand and a servant beside him quickly handed over a small bag. Instantly, a crisp sound came from the bag, and everyone knew that the bag must contain coins.

The man in brocade robes stuffed the money bag in his hand directly into the hands of the middle-aged yamen runner in front of everyone. The middle-aged yamen runner took the money bag and subconsciously weighed it. A satisfied look appeared on his face, and his smile was mixed with a trace of greed and flattery that was difficult to conceal. Then, he stretched out his hand to greet a few companions, turned around and left in a hurry. From beginning to end, these patrols never cast their eyes on the women who were whipped and lying on the ground.

The crowd witnessed this scene, but there was not much surprise on their faces, as if such scenes had already been common in their daily lives and had become an ordinary thing that they were no longer surprised by.

In fact, as early as when he saw the nameplate worn on the ankles of the seven women, Yi Huawei had already realized that the women on the ground were all slaves.

The slave trade has existed in every corner of the world since ancient times, but it was not very prosperous in the Qin Dynasty a few decades ago. At that time, the Qin Dynasty was more about the sale of women in various sex venues. Although this kind of trade also involved human trafficking, it was more limited in scale and form compared to the later slave trade.

Later, after Yi Huawei vigorously abolished all slavery in Daqin, the word "slave" gradually disappeared in Daqin.

However, with the continuous expansion of the power of the various noble families in Guanzhong, the word "slave" quietly revived in the Qin territory. However, the source of these slaves was basically people captured in wars by the Xiongnu, Yuezhi, Qiang and other ethnic groups.

In the following decades, the Qin Dynasty continued to expand its vast territory. In particular, ten years ago, the Qin Dynasty, with its powerful military force, successively destroyed the two empires of Parthia and Seleucid in Central Asia. This brilliant record enabled the Qin Dynasty to advance its borders all the way to the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, and overlook the vast blue waves of the Mediterranean Sea.

This series of great conquests and expansions finally gave merchants from Rome, Macedonia and other European countries the opportunity to directly trade with the Qin Dynasty. In addition to bringing vast tracts of land and mountains of wealth, war also produced a large number of accessories, the largest of which were ordinary people who were displaced by the war, becoming victims of the war and a continuous source of goods in the slave trade.

As the Parthian Empire and the Seleucid Empire were successively destroyed under the iron hoof of the Qin Dynasty, the developed slave trade flourished in the Qin Dynasty like mushrooms after rain.

In just over a decade, it has become the most profitable industry of this era, attracting the attention of countless people. Nowadays, almost all the major counties in Daqin have set up places dedicated to auctioning slaves.

These places became trading grounds where the fate of slaves was changed again, and also became a stage for the rich to show off their wealth and power. The noble families of the Qin Dynasty made a lot of money in these wars and slave trades. With their wealth and power, they have now become the largest slave traders in the Qin Dynasty and even the world.

Although Yi Huawei did not agree with the rise of the slave trade in his heart, living in such an era, occasional compassion might be acceptable, but if he went against the trend, it would obviously go against the overall interests of the Qin Dynasty.

After all, the slave trade has been inextricably linked to the economy, military and many other aspects of the Qin Dynasty. A hasty ban may trigger a series of unpredictable chain reactions. Therefore, Yi Huawei has long maintained a neutral attitude towards the slave trade, neither supporting nor denying it. However, he did not sit idly by, but ordered the Cabinet Office to formulate a series of laws to regulate the slave trade. The most critical one is that once any slave trader who dares to sell Qin people is found, his nine clans will be immediately exterminated. The purpose is to deter those greedy people with the most severe punishment and prevent them from extending their evil hands to the people of Qin for the sake of profit.

Because the slave trade is a lucrative business, it will inevitably tempt some people blinded by greed, including some Qin people, to take risks. Only by adopting such severe punishments can we kill one to warn the rest and prevent them from taking such an idea easily.

Due to the rapid development of the Qin Dynasty in the past few decades, both the population and the economy have achieved rapid growth. The group that purchases the most slaves at present is precisely the nobles and wealthy families of the Qin Dynasty.

Those Kunlun slaves from Africa became the working figures in the nobles' manors; the blonde and blue-eyed beauties from Europe either became the nobles' playthings or performed various service jobs in wealthy families; the Macedonian warriors relied on their own martial arts, some became the nobles' personal bodyguards, some were trained as gladiators to please the audience in the Colosseum, and so on. All of them were clearly marked with prices in the Qin slave market, waiting to be selected by their new owners.

The emergence of trains and the completion of a large number of railways greatly promoted the development of various trades in Daqin. With increasingly convenient transportation, distance is no longer the main factor restricting economic development. The circulation of goods and personnel has become smoother than ever before, which also provides more favorable conditions for the prosperity of the slave trade. Of course, the slave trade also brought Daqin quite rich tax revenue, especially the construction of various important railways in Daqin. Without the hard work of slaves from Africa, Europe, Parthia and the Seleucid Empire, it would never have been completed so quickly.

The reason why the patrols ignored the women on the ground was obviously because they knew clearly that these women were slaves. In the Qin Dynasty, no one protected slaves. The Qin Dynasty only protected the private property of the Qin people. As for slaves, although the law did not clearly define their nature, in everyone's mind, they were regarded as part of private property.

Of course, the most prosperous slave trade was in the vast land of Western Xinjiang, which had just been incorporated into the territory of the Qin Dynasty. Having just experienced the baptism of war and the change of regime, the social order was not yet completely stable, and various forces were intricate, providing fertile soil for the growth of the slave trade.

Judging from the current situation, the young man was most likely a wealthy family or nobleman from the Qin Dynasty. In the Qin Dynasty today, it was not uncommon for ordinary families to own a few slaves from the Parthian, Seleucid, African or even European countries. Slaves had gradually become a symbol of wealth and status, and had penetrated into all levels of Qin society.

"Husband..."

Chenxi and the other girls looked at the women on the ground who were in so much pain, their faces showing an expression of pity, and they turned their heads involuntarily to look at Yi Huawei.

Yu Shu couldn't bear to see the women continue to be tortured, so she looked at Yi Huawei and said softly, "How about we buy them?"

"As you wish!"

Yi Huawei nodded slightly and was about to signal Long Jiu, who was following him secretly, to go forward and buy those women.

"stop!"

A loud shout sounded like thunder, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Yi Huawei narrowed his eyes slightly and looked in the direction of the voice. With a glance, he saw the familiar yet unfamiliar figure. At the same time, Yu Shu also recognized the man. It was Yi Xiaochuan, whom she had not seen for more than ten years. Her hand around Yi Huawei's arm tightened. Time has left deep marks on Yi Xiaochuan's face. His face looks more and more old. His youthfulness and vigor have long disappeared, replaced by a kind of vicissitudes of life.

Standing next to Yi Xiaochuan was the former princess of Ailao Kingdom - Songzhi.

More than ten years had left obvious marks on her. She looked like an old woman in her forties or fifties. Her former elegance and beauty had been replaced by fatigue and haggardness. She held Yi Xiaochuan's arm tightly, her fingers slightly whitened due to the force, and her eyes were full of worry and uneasiness. Obviously, they had experienced a lot of hardships over the years. She knew Yi Xiaochuan's character very well and was afraid that he would get into trouble because of this, so she tried to stop his impulsive behavior.

"Take a look and then talk!"

Yi Huawei smiled and patted Yu Shu's arm gently.

"it is good!"

Yu Shu nodded when she heard that and looked at the figure with a complicated expression.

"Stop it! In broad daylight, you are abusing several weak women. Is there any law?!"

Yi Xiaochuan ignored Song Zhi's attempts to stop him. He shook off Song Zhi's hand, strode forward, and faced the man in brocade robes: "Why do you treat these women so cruelly? They are also human beings, with flesh and blood and souls. How can you have the heart to do that to them?"

The man in brocade robe was stunned at first, as if he didn't expect someone to dare to question him. He looked at Yi Xiaochuan, sneered, and said arrogantly: "They are just slaves I bought with money. I can do whatever I want. What does it have to do with you? They are born lowly and should serve their masters."

After hearing this, Yi Xiaochuan became even angrier. He took a step forward and said loudly, "In my opinion, Qin people, Western people, and everyone in this world are equal. No one is born to be enslaved or abused. Your wealth cannot be a reason for you to trample on the dignity of others."

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The man in brocade robes laughed as if he had heard a huge joke. "Equality? That's ridiculous. Are you crazy? There has never been such a reason in the land of Qin. I bought these slaves with real money. They are like my private property. I can dispose of them at will."

Yi Xiaochuan's eyes flashed with anger and disappointment, and he raised his voice and said, "You are wrong. Humans are human because we have emotions, thoughts, and dignity. Slaves are also human, and they are only trapped in such a situation because of the war. You treat them like this, which is against human nature."

The man in brocade robe snorted disdainfully: "Humanity? Don't talk to me about human nature. They are not Qin people. In my eyes, they are no different from pigs and dogs. If you dare to meddle in other people's business again, don't blame me for being rude."

Yi Xiaochuan stared at the man in brocade robes: "I will not watch you continue to do evil. Today, I will seek justice for these women."

"Hahaha……"

The man in brocade robe was completely enraged by Yi Xiaochuan's words. He laughed in anger, then his face darkened and he said viciously: "Okay, since you want to die, I will grant your wish."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and several servants behind him immediately rushed up and surrounded Yi Xiaochuan.

Yi Xiaochuan looked at the servants who surrounded him, but he was not afraid. He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and prepared for the fight. A servant took the lead and punched Yi Xiaochuan. Yi Xiaochuan dodged the blow easily, and then he quickly punched the servant in the face. The servant screamed and fell to the ground, holding his nose.

However, seeing this, the other servants rushed forward. Although Yi Xiaochuan fought hard, he was outnumbered. The fists and kicks of several servants rained down on him, and he gradually became unable to resist. Despite this, he still gritted his teeth and tried to fight back.

Finally, Yi Xiaochuan was kicked in the abdomen by a servant. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground. But his eyes were still staring at the man in brocade robes stubbornly, refusing to yield.

The man in brocade robes looked down at Yi Xiaochuan who was lying in the dust, and snorted coldly from his nose: "You are an overconfident person. Humph, if it weren't for the fact that you are also a Qin person, I would definitely make you live a life worse than death!"

The laws of the Qin Dynasty stipulate that killing someone means paying with one's life. This is an iron rule. No matter if it is a prince or a commoner, if someone kills a Qin person without a legitimate and sufficient reason, then he will be punished with life for life, and there will be no room for negotiation.

After hearing what the man in brocade robe said, Yi Xiaochuan endured the pain in his body, slowly stood up from the ground, and looked directly at the man in brocade robe: "Don't think that you can trample on others wantonly because of your status. You will eventually get retribution for your evil deeds today."

The man in brocade robe was so angry at Yi Xiaochuan's words that his face turned pale and blue. Just as he was about to explode, he saw that the crowd around him was getting bigger and bigger, and many of them looked at him with dissatisfaction. Although he was angry, he was also afraid of public opinion, and was even more worried that if the matter got out of hand, he would get into trouble. So, he glared at Yi Xiaochuan fiercely and said with gritted teeth:
"Just wait for me!"

After saying this, he flicked his sleeves, signaled the servants to take the female slaves with them, and was about to leave.

"Ding ~"

"These women stay, you can go!"

A gold coin fell in front of the man in brocade robe, and then a figure blocked his way.

That person was Long Jiu.

(End of this chapter)