Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 320 Traces
Yang Qin didn't look at the situation in the arena; instead, he kept an eye on the woman in the corner of the platform.

For him, the outcome of the competition was less important than the poor woman.

The woman's gaze gave him a sense of familiarity. Before his sister-in-law came to the Yang family, he felt just as angry every time he faced the oppression and bullying from the second branch of the family.

Of course, the woman's situation was even more tragic than his.

So when the woman jumped off the platform, Yang Qin instinctively cried out in surprise, but he quickly covered his mouth, afraid of alerting the others.

However, the woman's actions had already been noticed by those men. After she jumped down, she had just gotten up and was about to escape when she was caught by the men who had rushed over.

Yang Qin instinctively wanted to shout, but found that the people around him were unusually calm, obviously used to this kind of thing.

"Please, please let me go, I've seen my brother."

“He will pay me money to ransom me.”

The woman struggled, but the next moment her mouth was gagged, her hands and feet were tied, and she was thrown aside.

The wrestling match continues.

Yang Qin stared for a long time before finally looking away and reaching out to pull his mother, Zhang Shi, back to him. He knew they couldn't control those matters, and he was grateful that his sister-in-law had come to their home; otherwise, they wouldn't be living like this.

"Someone is watching her."

Upon hearing Xie Yuyan's voice, Yang Qin subconsciously looked around and indeed saw a man in the distance trying to move forward, but was eventually calmed down by the people who surrounded him.

Yang Qin recalled what the woman had said. Could that be her brother? He saw her but couldn't rescue her?
“These people are sold under a contract of life,” Xie Yuyan said. “Unless the owner is willing to resell her, reporting it to the authorities will be useless.”

Yang Qin seemed to understand why his sister-in-law was recommending a clerk for a laborer at the village association.

Hired workers are not slaves and cannot be sold or beaten by their employers at will. Although they are still master and servant on the surface, this is only for the agreed period, after which they will regain their freedom.

Bianjing City appears prosperous, yet such things still happen… or rather, even more so. The prosperity belongs to the wealthy and powerful, not to the poor and needy.

Thinking of this, Yang Qin immediately lost his mood for sightseeing and only wanted to go back to his studies as soon as possible.

Xie Yuyan seemed to see through Yang Qin's thoughts, and she said in a low voice, "We need to take a look around before going back. We need to get to know Bianjing City better. We'll be staying here for a while."

Yang Qin nodded. He hadn't thought things through enough. His sister-in-law had come out this time to check the situation, unlike him who was only interested in playing.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to going anywhere,” Xie Yuyan said. “Tomorrow I will take you to the bookstore, where you can buy more books. There are also academies in the city, so even if we can’t go there, we can still hire some better tutors.”

Zhang nodded in agreement, "You should listen to your sister-in-law."

Yang Qin responded.

In the short time that followed, the winner of the contest on the stage was decided, and those who had bet on the outcome in private began to settle their accounts.

The winners were rewarded with a gift of Nüzhan, while the losers were filled with resentment, wishing they could vent their anger on Nüzhan.

Sure enough, someone threw stones at the woman, along with a lot of insults, but this did not affect the start of the second match.

Xie Yuyan had no interest in watching the second performance and continued walking forward with Zhang and Yang Qin.

In the restaurant directly opposite the gambling den, people were also betting money, but unlike the people outside, they were betting at least one silver ingot each time. Xia Ziqiao smiled; the gambling den belonged to his aunt's husband's family, the He family. Despite being located in this brothel, it had made a considerable amount of money.

Just like with the porcelain, the Xia family also got involved, and they got a share of the money. Moreover, the female performers were becoming more and more famous, and high-ranking officials and nobles would invite them to perform at their banquets. Over time, they might even be introduced to the palace.

In Bianjing, from markets and shops to entertainment districts, which high-ranking official or nobleman didn't want to get involved? The difference lay in whether they did it themselves or controlled it through their clansmen or distant relatives.

Xia Ziqiao looked at Han Dang across from him. After Han Si returned to Bianjing, his nephew Han Dang immediately sent the news. The Han family owned the largest kiln in Bianjing. Han Si inherited his ancestors' craftsmanship, and many of the porcelain pieces he produced were sent to the palace. However, in the past two years, the imperial court has established a kiln in Bianjing specifically for firing porcelain for the palace. As a result, the Han family kiln sent fewer porcelain pieces to the palace, and its status plummeted.

In order to maintain the reputation of Han Family Kiln, Han Si had no choice but to obey the orders of high-ranking officials and nobles, as was the case with this trip to Daming Prefecture.

However, Han Si's failure to handle the matter this time was bound to offend many high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Han Dang cursed his uncle for being useless while trying to appease Xia Ziqiao.

"I don't know what my uncle was thinking. When he was in Daming Prefecture, he actually helped people look after porcelain all the time," Han Dang sighed. "When he got home, he even wrote down all the advice he had given him, so that it could be printed in the Daming Prefecture newspaper."

Xia Ziqiao frowned: "Did you get the silver in Daming Prefecture?"

"No," Han Dang hurriedly waved his hand, "I've seen all the items he brought back. They're just dried vegetables and mushrooms, nothing worth much. My aunt even had a fight with him about it, saying he was blinded by greed and tricked into bringing back porcelain, which would ruin the entire Han family."

Xia Ziqiao didn't believe that there were no benefits involved, and that Han Si could be made to work for them without paying money.
Han Dang said, "My uncle only said that Madam Xie from Daming Prefecture is really amazing. She made Buddhist porcelain, and he had no choice but to comply."

Xia Ziqiao leaned back in his chair. Now that the porcelain had been brought back to Bianjing, the Han family could no longer be relied upon. The next step was to have the Jiyi Division acquire the porcelain from the Luzhou Kiln.

As soon as Han finished speaking, another person said, "That Xie family member is indeed quite capable. I heard that she came to Bianjing with Wang Yan and the others, but she disappeared outside the city. Nobody knows where she is."

Another person said, "In my opinion, she doesn't dare to come. She can still act with authority in a place like Daming Prefecture, but what right does she have to speak in the capital?"

This makes sense.

Everyone agreed.

Xia Ziqiao was delighted by everyone's praise and felt that he didn't need to get involved in this matter; the He family alone could handle it. Now, he was curious about where the woman was.

Without seeing her, I have the strength but can't use it. If she suddenly appears at a crucial moment, it will inevitably cause more trouble.

“I have already informed the merchants in Bianjing,” Xia Ziqiao said, “not to do business with the Xie family of Daming Prefecture. Especially those porcelains from the Luzhou kiln; porcelain shops are not allowed to display them for sale.”

No one in Bianjing sold her porcelain, so her business failed, and she had to leave in disgrace.

Looking out the window at the women fighting below, Xia Ziqiao smiled. He really wanted to throw Xie Shi onto the platform as well.

……

Xie Yuyan walked around the entertainment district before getting into his carriage and leaving.

Tang Xing handed over an earthenware pot from outside, which was exactly the same as the ones Xie Yuyan had seen being sold by the vendors.

Xie Yuyan opened the jar and took a sniff.

“These are spices,” Tang Xing whispered from outside. “I never thought the entertainment district would start selling such expensive things. No wonder there was a fight on the Bian River today.”

Profits drive people, and with such things involved, a fierce battle to the death is inevitable. As for storing the spices in earthenware jars, that's obviously a cover-up.

Xie Yuyan put the lid on the earthenware pot, thinking about the boats he had encountered on the Bian River. He feared that those boats and people would all disappear.