In order to entertain Ang Lee, the Wenchuan County Magistrate not only took out all the delicacies in his private storage, but also offered his new concubine. After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Ang Lee had just gone to his bedroom to rest when he saw a young and beautiful lady walk in shyly and salute to Ang Lee very respectfully.
This young lady was only 15 or 16 years old, with fair skin and a pretty face. In the later years, she was only a middle school student, but in the Tang dynasty, this age could be considered an adult. There were many women who were 15 or 16 years old who became mothers. This was a very common phenomenon. After all, the lifespan of ancient people was relatively short. If they married late, the reproduction of the population would be greatly affected. Only by marrying early could an empire give birth to a sufficient number of people and thus strengthen the strength of the empire.
For ordinary people, it was already very good if they could marry a wife in their lifetime. Many people with poor conditions could only be single. However, capable men could take in many concubines. It was not a big deal for them to take in eight or ten concubines. As the head of the county, the county magistrate naturally belonged to the upper class in this area of the county. It was not difficult for him to take in a young and beautiful concubine.
This concubine was the new concubine of the Wenchuan County Magistrate. Because of the sudden arrival of the Maozhou County Magistrate, the County Magistrate was upset and had no intention of doting on this concubine. So far, the County Magistrate had not had time to dote on this new concubine. Instead, Ang Lee, the guest, had benefited.
Some people might think that it was a very shameful thing to be cuckolded, but in ancient times, the status of a concubine was very low. They could be given away at will. If they were unhappy, they could be divorced. A concubine and a wife were not at the same level at all. Many people only cared about the official wife and played with concubines. When there were benefits, there was nothing wrong with giving away concubines.
Of course, not everyone was like this. Some people valued concubines very much and would rather give away their daughters than give away their concubines. For example, Ang Lee was a good man who loved his wife and concubines. He would never give away his concubines. Even if she was a maid in his residence, he would not give her away casually. After all, they already had deep feelings for each other. Even if he gave the maid away, it would feel like he was giving away his woman. Anyway, Ang Lee could not do it.
Looking at the beautiful young lady in front of him, Ang Lee did not know what to say. The Wenchuan County Magistrate was very enthusiastic. Not only did he entertain him with good food and drinks, he even used his concubine to entertain the guest. This kind of hospitality was so enthusiastic that it made Ang Lee feel a little embarrassed.
"May I ask how old you are, young lady? Why did you enter my room by mistake? "
Ang Lee was a little drunk. He smiled faintly and asked.
The young lady was a little shy. She lowered her head and replied, "This lowly servant is the new concubine that the county magistrate took in a few days ago. It … it was the county magistrate who asked this lowly servant to serve you."
After saying that, she lowered her head deeply, looking quite shy.
"Serve me! Then do you know how to serve people? You don't look like you know how to serve people! "
Ang Lee was a little drunk and spoke with a touch of ambiguity.
After all, the young lady was inexperienced. She lowered her head and walked to Ang Lee's side. She stretched out a pair of small hands that were as smooth as jade and gently rubbed Ang Lee's legs. From time to time, she would raise her head to look at Ang Lee. When her eyes met with Ang Lee's, she would quickly avert her gaze and continue rubbing Ang Lee's legs.
Based on his many years of experience, Ang Lee could tell at a glance that this young lady was an inexperienced young lady. Whether it was her expression or the smell she exuded, it was enough to prove this point. Ang Lee could not help but be pleasantly surprised. At the same time, he was also quite puzzled. How could the county magistrate's concubine be a young lady? This was too illogical. Could it be that the county magistrate had some kind of hidden illness? Did he take in a young and beautiful concubine purely to hide his illness?
This situation was not impossible. For example, many old men in their seventies or eighties would marry a lot of young ladies when they had nothing to do. However, when people reached this age, they no longer had any needs. Marrying so many young ladies was purely to give themselves a psychological comfort or to express to others that they were still very young, that they still had the most basic desires, and that they were not old yet.
After a series of inquiries, Ang Lee finally understood what was going on. This was also Ang Lee's luck. It was better to come early than to come at the right time. Tonight was destined to be an unforgettable night.
Early in the morning of the second day, Ang Lee got up contentedly. This night's torment allowed Ang Lee to relax. After holding back for so many days, he finally let himself have a good time. It was really too good.
However, the young lady was not so good. Perhaps Ang Lee used too much strength. The young lady did not get up in the morning and just lay quietly on the bed.
Ang Lee did not need to care about her. He stretched and walked to the courtyard to enjoy the scenery.
In the early spring of Central Sichuan, the weather was no longer cold. The small trees in the courtyard had also begun to turn green. All kinds of nameless birds were chirping, making people feel particularly happy.
"Assistant Minister Li slept well last night."
Not long after he walked into the courtyard, the county magistrate of Wenchuan County bent over to greet him. His face was full of smiles and flattery. At first glance, it was obvious that he was a person who knew how to flatter.
Ang Lee nodded gently and responded, "Good, very good. The county magistrate's hospitality is so considerate. How can this official not be good?"
"That's good, that's good."
The county magistrate's face was full of flattery as he continued, "It's our honor that Assistant Minister Li can come to our Wenchuan County. Moreover, Assistant Minister Li has helped me a lot. I can't thank you enough. This is what I should do."
The help he ordered was, firstly, to expel the Maozhou County Registrar who had come to make trouble. Secondly, he personally went to persuade the people of Zhao Village to move their ancestral graves.
"Oh, so the people of Zhao Village have thought it through?"
Ang Lee said happily.
The county magistrate hurriedly smiled and said, "Yes, Assistant Minister Li. This morning, the yamen runners came to report that they saw the people of Zhao Village have begun to move the graves. Thousands of people gathered at the ancestral graves, burning paper money and crying while digging the graves. At this rate, they will all be moved in five or seven days at most. "
Hearing this, Ang Lee nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good, very good. It seems that the people of Zhao Village are very sensible. They are all honest and good people!"
Hearing this, the county magistrate's face was full of disdain. He said flatteringly, "This is all thanks to Assistant Minister Li. The county magistrate and yamen runners have been there several times. These unruly people are very unreasonable and refuse to move the graves. Only Assistant Minister Li can control these unruly people and make them move the graves obediently."
Hearing this, Ang Lee said with a smile, "It's not the people's fault. They are not unruly. As the county magistrate, how can you say that the people under your rule are unruly? It's you who didn't explain well and didn't persuade them from the perspective of these people. This led to the resistance of the people. As long as you persuade them with reason, they will be very cooperative. "
"Yes, yes, yes. Assistant Minister Li is right. I am stupid. I will definitely correct myself and will not make such a mistake again."
The county magistrate hurriedly said.
"Well, the weather is good today. Accompany me to Wenchuan County. It's my first time here."
Ang Lee said.
The accompanying guards and Long Wujun lived in the temporary barracks next to the county government. The barracks were all in good conditions, so they didn't feel bad at all.
When Ang Lee went out, he would be accompanied by no less than four guards. Sometimes, there would be more than ten guards to ensure absolute safety. Even if the county magistrate accompanied him, there was no exception.
Wenchuan County was less than two square kilometers in area. Its length and width were only one or two miles, which was less than one kilometer. It was such a small county that it was no big deal to walk around it.
Because the county was very poor, the county government's standards were not high. Fortunately, the area was not bad. The building standards were not high, but the building area was not small at all. It was quite comfortable to stay inside.
After walking out of the county government, the first thing he saw was a bulletin board not far away. This bulletin board was usually posted with some important policies of the county government, as well as the reward for bandits.
Ang Lee walked to the bulletin board and saw the arrest notice of Wenchuan County. He stopped and looked at it for a while.
At this time, there was no one under the bulletin board. After all, these notices had been posted here for a long time. The common people knew that they were old notices, so naturally, they didn't come to read them. Only when a new notice appeared would the common people come to read it out of curiosity. If a scholar read it once, the illiterate next to him would know.
"A reward of five hundred copper coins for the capture of a bandit who blocks the road. The bandit's portrait is actually covered. Will anyone accept this?"
After Li An finished reading an arrest notice, the corners of his mouth revealed a trace of a smile.
The reward was a little too little. At the same time, a masked bandit's portrait was as good as not having a portrait. If the bandit took off his mask, even if he ran into the county, the bounty hunters wouldn't be able to find him!
The county magistrate hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. No one will accept this. Wenchuan County is a small place and can't afford to pay too high a price. There's no other way!"
It was true that their small county was poor. Wenchuan County was indeed very poor, but no matter how poor it was, it couldn't offer such a small reward of five hundred copper coins. Such a small amount of money was not enough to tempt anyone. Bounty hunters also had to eat. If they didn't pay more, they wouldn't be willing to do such a dangerous thing.
"No matter how poor we are, we can't be stingy with the reward money. Five hundred copper coins is too little. If there's no other way, we can ask the victims of the merchants to donate some money! As long as someone catches the bandit, they can directly go to the merchants to get the reward. Isn't that good? "
Ang Lee said.
The county magistrate hurriedly said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. Why didn't I think of this? Let the merchants who have been robbed pay. This is a good idea. This is still a good idea. I'll arrange it later and increase the reward ten times. Assistant Minister Li, what do you think? "
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Ten times is five strings of money. This is not bad. Let the rich merchants pool together the money. Hahaha!"
After saying that, they continued to walk forward. There was nothing much to see in the upscale area in the northwest. It was just a residential area. Basically, all the famous people in the county had houses there. Some merchants who had made a lot of money also bought houses there.
Ang Lee wanted to go to the commercial area in the south. Although it was very dirty and messy, it was more lively. There were many interesting people and things to see.
Compared to the southwest area, which sold livestock, fish, and turtles, the environment in the southeast area was relatively better. Ang Lee went straight south. The first thing he entered was the commercial street in the southeast area. The goods sold here were relatively clean. There were low-grade rouge and face powder, central Sichuan's specialty, Sichuan brocade, and many low-grade restaurants and brothels. There were also many snack shops, but it didn't affect the hygiene of the ground. The overall environment was relatively good.
Because it was only a small county with a small population, the width of the streets was very limited. People came and went, and it was very bustling. If the streets were too wide, it would be quite deserted. Only the most suitable width was the best.
"Is this embroidery material Sichuan brocade? Why does it look wrong?"
Ang Lee walked to a small shop selling cloth, touched the cloth and said.
Seeing the county magistrate bringing a distinguished guest into the shop, the shopkeeper immediately trotted out to greet them. His face was full of smiles, which was particularly cute.
"County magistrate, this distinguished guest is very nice to meet you.
The shopkeeper greeted them.
The county magistrate looked like a regular customer, but he didn't know much about the goods. He couldn't figure out what the cloth Ang Lee was talking about was made of, so he asked, "Is this cloth Sichuan brocade?"
The shopkeeper said, "No, this is a piece of cloth sold from the East Woman Country. It has a lot of similarities with our Sichuan brocade. However, this is more precious. This is all embroidered with the mane of a horse. It is very rare. Not everyone in the East Woman Country knows this technique, so it is much more expensive than our Sichuan brocade."
"Oh, this is embroidery made with horse mane. Good! Rare, it is really rare. This is really precious. "
When Ang Lee heard this, he was very happy. This kind of embroidery was very difficult. Not everyone could have this technique. Horse mane embroidery was a very famous intangible cultural heritage in the future. Many foreigners came to buy it because of its reputation. The local tyrants were also very keen to buy this kind of horse mane embroidery. They probably felt that it was a very happy thing to have this kind of embroidery!
Seeing that Ang Lee liked horse mane embroidery so much, the county magistrate winked at the shopkeeper next to him. He probably hoped that the shopkeeper could give a few pieces to Ang Lee for free. The shopkeeper obviously understood the county magistrate's meaning. Suddenly, his face was pained. The price of this embroidery was not low. If he gave it away for free, it was really a loss. The shopkeeper also ran a small business. How could he bear such a big loss?
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