Nongmen Shenjue

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Boss Zheng of Juming Tea House invites you to have New Year’s wine.

In fact, after the year, several companies in the county posted posts to invite Mu Qingyan to New Year's wine, and they all met through Master Ge or Master Zheng earlier. Disdain in the eyes of enthusiasm, or too calculating.

Mu Qingyan never liked to wrong himself, especially when he had a choice, so he only made acquaintances with those people, but Ge Dafu was very sincere, and Zheng Ming had a kind of free and easy, perhaps because of To be the voice of a tea house, I have been in touch with all kinds of teachings and nine streams, but it makes people feel at ease.

Furthermore, the more everyone invites New Year wine, the more prudent they are. Usually, it is agreed with the merchants early on, so as to avoid several families colliding with each other, and it is also to greet the guests in advance to avoid haste.Just like the Ge family and the Zheng family, when they posted an invitation a few years ago, they valued Mu Qingyan, so he responded readily.After all these years, he has found an excuse to push it away.

The Zheng family's new year's wine is very lively.

Mu Qingyan sat at the table with Master Ge and others, accompanied by Boss Zheng, not only had small plays, but also storytelling and juggling.When Mu Qingyan was socializing with people outside, he usually had no more than three drinks, but during the big festival, a group of sons booed and persuaded him to drink, and he was really tired after carrying it down.Besides drinking, these people at the table were either talking about business or women.

The women talking at the wine table are not serious women, let alone women from various families.

Affair, this is a thriving topic among men.

"Speaking of talented women, we have a girl named Lulan in Jinyang Mansion, and a girl named Yaoqin in Guanglin Mansion. I've met that girl Lulan twice. She's really pretty, and she's good at dancing. It is thin and soft, and it makes people dazzled when it dances, it can be called the 'demon dance'."

Everyone agrees, and everyone regrets: "Only the mother in that building is treacherous, and only says that Miss Lulan is still young, and she intends to raise her for two more years, and refuses to let someone comb the cage."

The so-called combing cage actually refers to the girl combing her hair up to show that she is no longer a virgin.In ancient times, a woman's status as unmarried or married could be known by looking at her hair.Although a brothel girl does not marry, the first night is very important. It is not only a way for the brothel owner to make money, but also a way for the woman to gain popularity. Often, a more famous person will be hired to break the woman's body. The price is naturally quite a lot. After one night, The woman will formally receive the guests.

Daughters of brothels are usually bought when they are young, carefully raised for a few years, and released when they are old.

For example, Lu Lan, who is only 15 years old this year, grew up in a brothel, was taught by a master, and has good dancing skills. She danced for guests in the brothel at the age of 13, and she is quite famous.In more formal brothels, the bustards take a long-term perspective. Girls must be thirteen or fourteen years old at the earliest to receive customers. suitable age.

What these people are talking about here is not only lust, but also envy and jealousy of the man who will occupy Lu Lan's head in the future.

Everyone knows that as a carefully raised girl in the big brothel in Fucheng, 500 taels of silver, or even more, is indispensable if she wants to groom her cage.Even though they all have some net worth, 500 taels of silver is not a small amount, and many people can't get it out after all their wealth. After all, no one is rich.

Zheng Ming suddenly laughed and said: "If Lu Lan is willing to spend money in the future, she will still be able to see her, but Yaoqin from Guanglin Mansion, no matter how much you are willing to spend money, she will never see her again."

"How do you say that?" someone asked.

"Miss Yaoqin is lucky, she was redeemed by someone, and it is said that she is a nobleman from the capital." As expected of a teahouse, Zheng Ming's news is still so well informed.

"A nobleman in the capital? I don't know how much money he is worth?" They are all businessmen, and money is the most concerned thing among their emotions.

Zheng Ming stretched out two fingers: "I heard it is this number."

Definitely not 200 taels.

"2000 taels? This price is not low."

Don't underestimate Yaoqin's redemption value by thinking that Lu Lan can sell for 500 taels in the first night. Girls with both talents are very valuable in the first night.For people like Lu Lan, if they successfully groom their cages, they won’t need to talk about ten taels of silver for a night when picking up guests.

Yaoqin is different from Lulan, Yaoqin is no longer a virgin, but she is lucky, the person who redeemed her now is the person who bought her Chuye back then, that nobleman loved her very much, and the two of them together Lingering for two or three months.At the end of the year, the nobleman wanted to return to Beijing, probably because he was really reluctant, so he redeemed Yaoqin and took her away.

After all, the nobleman spent at least three or four thousand taels on Yaoqin.

Even if she has money, if she is not powerful, the mother in the building will not let go of Yaoqin, a cash cow, easily.

Prostitutes have their own ranks, and their worth varies across a rank.At the beginning, Liu Huan from the herbal medicine shop redeemed a top brothel in He County, spending 500 taels of silver.There are three reasons for the disparity in prices. First, the girl has been receiving customers for two or three years. Second, the girl's talent and appearance are not as good as those of Lulan Yaoqin. Third, Hexian is not as good as Fucheng.

Earlier, Liu Huan was arrested in He County. Not long after, the Fenglin County Government received an official document and sealed up Liu Ji's Herbal Medicine Shop and arrested Liu Shouxin.At the beginning, Liu Ji’s herbal medicine shop was in decline and was about to close. It was through smuggling jade that it prospered again. When the incident was revealed, the Liu family’s property was also confiscated. Except for Liu’s father and son, no one else was involved, but without the man who supported the door, Without money again, life can be imagined how sad it is.

Zheng Ming tilted his head and said to Mu Qingyan: "Young Master Mu, you have heard a piece of news in Guanglin Mansion. A woman got angry because she hated her husband sleeping in flowers and lying in willows for not coming home. She hanged herself in a brothel. In front of the door. Tsk, I heard that many girls in that building were scared and sick."

Even though he had received Yan Lang's letter, Mu Qingyan seemed to be hearing it for the first time, which attracted Zheng Ming to explain it in detail.

After the banquet was over, Mu Qingyan went home by car.

Because Zheng Ming has wide eyes and ears, and listened to the news from all over the world, how many more drinks did he cunningly drink.There was a soft pillow in the carriage, and he leaned on the pillow with the stove in his arms, and fell asleep as the carriage shook.

The carriage stopped in front of the inn, Gao Chun raised the curtain and saw that he was asleep, and called out twice: "Second Master, we're home, Second Master, wake up."

Mu Qingyan felt it when the car stopped, but he was too lazy to open his eyes.

He sat up straight, straightened his clothes, and got out of the car.

Zhang Zhong, the innkeeper, came up to welcome him: "Young Master Mu is back, there is a guest from Guanglin Mansion, and the owner is taking care of him on his behalf."

Guanglin Mansion?Yan Lang?

Stepping into the backyard, I saw that the guest accompanied by Wen Jixue was Yan Lang, but...Wen Jixue's way of treating guests is quite cold, she only prepares hot tea and cakes, and sits with the guests, and she doesn't mean to take care of her at all No.Yan Lang was also tense, being in the same room with Wen Jixue made him nervous.

"Brother Mu!" Yan Lang saw him appear, as if he had seen a savior.

Wen Jixue frowned: "Drink too much?"

"It's okay, but I was sleepy in the car when I came back." Mu Qingyan asked Gao Chun to fetch water to wash his face. His mouth was dry for a while, so he drank two sips of Wen Jixue's tea, and then looked at Yan Lang in amazement: "Brother Yan came to Feng Is it for public or private?"

Yan Lang noticed the unusual atmosphere between the two, especially when Mu Qingyan naturally shared a cup of tea with Wen Jixue, who didn't even frown.When I saw the two at the Guanglin Mansion Inn before, I noticed something strange at that time, but I didn't think much about it, but now... Yan Lang is well-informed after all, and he immediately realized it.

Compared to the relationship between the two, Yan Lang was even more shocked that Wen Jixue actually liked men!

After all, Wen Jixue is a legendary figure.

"What's the matter?" The strange look on Yan Lang's face was so obvious that Mu Qingyan asked.

"Ah, it's nothing, haha." Yan Lang waved his hands quickly, fearing to offend someone.He cleared his throat and explained the purpose of his visit: "To be honest, I am here for public and private reasons. For the Chinese New Year, the yamen will be released from the yamen. As long as it is not a life-threatening matter, it will be postponed. I have a few days free. I usually do it Boss hunting, there are many strong people, and they don’t stop during the New Year. The host invites, and the west invites. It’s boring to go, and if you don’t go, you will offend others.

In addition, there is also something in my heart, and I want to talk to Brother Mu.

On the day of the new year, the yamen received a report that a family in Chunfeng Lane had died.The people living in Chunfeng Lane are all prostitutes, not as good as those big brothels outside. Here people are all small families, raising two or three daughters to attract customers, which is a different kind of fun, and there are always many customers.The family name of the deceased was Ding, and his youngest daughter Ding Xiang was a regular visitor, but she died on the bed with the guest after one night.Wu made an investigation and said that the man was a horse, but the daughter was strangled to death by the man. "

"What's suspicious?"

"The dead man's name is Zhang Hu, and his wife is the woman who hanged on the door of the brothel earlier."

"It's him?!" I don't think much about Zhang Hu's death alone, but when combined with the previous incident, it makes people suspicious.How could it be such a coincidence?Those who investigate the case least believe in coincidences.

Yan Lang said again: "Knowing that the deceased was Zhang Hu, I specially asked Wu to do a careful inspection, but there was not much to gain. The two were still entangled when they died, and Zhang Hu's hands were still clutching Ding Xiang's neck. , the expression on his face was extremely ferocious. I speculate that Zhang Hu accidentally strangled Ding Xiang to death in excitement, and he died suddenly without realizing it. Although nothing was found in the room, it is not ruled out that he took medicine."

The so-called horse wind refers to the fainting or sudden death caused by the excessive behavior of men and women during intercourse.This kind of thing usually happens to people who are old or weak. It is relatively rare for Zhang Hu to die like this for a man in his prime, so Yan Lang suspects that Zhang Hu has taken some kind of medicine to enhance the fun.

However, Mu Qingyan still didn't understand Yan Lang's seriousness.

"Since you think it's suspicious, just investigate around the Zhang family and his wife." According to Yan Lang's ability, this matter is not difficult, and there is really no need to come to him to discuss it.

Yan Lang smiled wryly: "I checked, but there is no progress. In addition, Zhang Hu's incident reminded me of an old incident. It was a year ago. A man went to a brothel to find sex, and he died immediately. His family Afraid of losing face, he didn't report to the official, so he took some money to settle the matter. I asked someone about it. He was only in his thirties, and he was always in good health. He was also a frequent visitor to the brothel. "

"Where is the woman who received the guest?"

"The woman was alive at the time, but was later redeemed by the man's wife and hanged not long after."

The inside story is self-explanatory.