It was a deep night in Chang'an. Cheng Dalei and the other three walked along the shore. There was no one on either side. The soles of their shoes landed on the stone slabs, making a clicking sound.
Liu Facai and Xu Shenji didn't speak. They noticed that Cheng Dalei's mood was not right, but they didn't know why.
We had just visited Mantingfang and knew that Yi Zhitao would not stay there. From the waiter's mouth, we learned that she lived in a low house by the river, and the three of them were rushing there.
Whether intentionally or not, Cheng Dalei walked slowly. On the way there, Cheng Dalei also recalled the past of his acquaintance with Yizhi Tao.
At that time, Yizhi Tao was the number one courtesan in Chang'an City, with numerous fans. But Cheng Dalei had just fled to Chang'an City and was hiding incognito, not even daring to reveal his real name.
Originally two people who were incompatible with each other, they bumped into each other by mistake. At a certain temple fair in the City God's Temple, Yi Zhi Peach came to burn incense. Cheng Dalei was chased by his enemies because he was too quick to show off. He had no way out and hid in the Cheng God's Temple. Yi Zhi Peach specially came to burn incense.
Covering up helped Cheng Dalei avoid this disaster.
The two were considered acquaintances, and Cheng Dalei gradually gained a foothold and helped Yizhi Tao fend off several disasters. After going back and forth, they developed a friendship. Cheng Dalei often visited Mantingfang, and Yizhi Tao occasionally came to the dungeon he protected.
A bandit and a prostitute look very different from each other, but in fact they are both desperate people, and they can be regarded as somewhat distressed.
But Cheng Dalei couldn't figure it out. As a Yi Zhi Tao, he would never have ended up in this situation no matter what. What happened in the meantime, Cheng Dalei couldn't figure out, but seeing a beautiful lady in such a state of desolation, Cheng Dalei was more or less
They were all a little unhappy.
Continuing to walk forward, a group of low houses appeared by the river. Although Cheng Dalei had not been to Chang'an City for many years, he still knew something about the place.
Chang'an is the most prosperous place in the world, with countless princes and nobles. But there are also poor people in Chang'an. The area by the river is the slums of Chang'an City. There are gathered coolies, hawkers, beggars...most of them are desperate and have no ability.
people.
It's not even as good as the underground city that Cheng Dalei guarded back then. There was a group of villains in the underground city who were desperate, but they were willing to take risks. But the people here didn't even have the courage to take risks.
What makes Cheng Dalei even more depressed is that there is another kind of business here - secret prostitution, also called half-door prostitution.
In the empire, there are differences between prostitutes and prostitutes. For example, Yuque is already at the top of the food chain. She has a separate courtyard and is served by maids and women. If you want to see her, in addition to spending a lot of money, you must also have family background and talent.
After squandering money and pretending for a long time, the girl only agreed to meet him once she saw her face. They also sat and talked about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and even holding hands was considered an unreasonable thought.
Of course, this kind of rules are only for ordinary people. Some people are born without the need to abide by the rules. Like today, when Baili Sheng gave an order, Yuque had to turn around, and naturally he didn't dare to have even the slightest dissatisfaction.
There is another type of prostitutes. They are also of low status, but are not allowed by the government. They can only leave the door ajar and hang a sign at the door. When Enke, who is familiar with them, comes over, he will turn over the sign.
Cheng Dalei's face was dark and gloomy, and there were some things he didn't dare to think about.
As soon as they entered the low house, a hunched-over man came over with a greasy smile on his face.
Neither Cheng Dalei nor the other two knew anything about this man's occupation. His wife and daughter were probably responsible for picking up customers while he solicited business on the street.
Before he could speak, Cheng Dalei asked directly: "I want to ask you about someone?"
The man rubbed his palms with a smile on his face.
Cheng Dalei signaled Liu Facai with his eyes, and Liu Facai was so disgusted that he threw him a piece of silver. The man took the silver, put it in his mouth and bit it, his smile getting brighter.
When he saw Cheng Dalei's generous move, he originally wanted to kill him with a knife. But Cheng Dalei had a calm and intimidating temperament and was obviously not easy to mess with.
"Sir, please tell me, if you know this, you don't dare to hide it at all?"
Cheng Dalei paused, but he didn't know how to describe Yi Zhi Tao. He thought for a moment and said, "There is a person who works in Mantingfang and now lives here. Do you know where she lives specifically?"
"Sir, you are talking about Mrs. Tao. She lives right in front. Turn left at the second intersection. There is a wooden house by the river where she lives."
How did everyone in Chang'an once want to pick a peach that couldn't be picked, but turned into a peach lady? Cheng Dalei didn't know how he felt at the moment. He asked: "It is said that she was quite famous back then, how did she end up here?"
"Hey, who says it's not the case? The master may not know, but she was Man Tingfang's number one at the time. I heard that many big shots were her guests. We also heard about it, but I don't know if it's true or not. Listen to me
She said that there was a big shot who wanted to redeem her life, but she refused to obey. People should know how much they weigh. No, this offended people. How can we afford to offend the adults of Chang'an City? That person
She was forced to take her body, and she was ostracized everywhere. She was kicked out by Man Tingfang within a few years. There used to be people visiting her, but in the past two years, there have been fewer and fewer people."
Cheng Dalei took out another ingot of silver and said, "Excuse me, please tell me the name of that big shot. I may have heard of him too."
The man shook his head: "I don't know about the young man. It happened a long time ago, and the big people don't know the young man either. Master, do you think the young man is right?"
Cheng Dalei shook his shoulders and suddenly laughed: "That makes sense, that makes sense."
The man received two pieces of silver one after another, and became more and more happy, saying: "Sir, there is a treasure here. It comes from the grassland. Just one piece can make you prosperous."
Cheng Dalei was startled: "Are you a medicine seller?"
"Yes." The man was also stunned: "Pisan, the medicine seller, knows who knows who here, so I can guarantee that the goods are genuine."
Cheng Dalei was silent, and Xu Shenji and Liu Facai also looked embarrassed. Cheng Dalei let out a sigh of relief, but he had already made the first impression.
"Sorry." Cheng Dalei took out another ingot of silver and said, "Thank you."
When the man came back to his senses, Cheng Dalei had already walked forward. The man suddenly said to his back: "Sir, you are also a former guest of Mrs. Tao. I can see that you are a righteous person. Please help her if you can."
.”
Cheng Dalei didn't look back and continued walking forward: "I am not her guest, she is my sister."
"Sister?" The man was even more confused. Looking at his age, Cheng Dalei was much younger than Mrs. Tao.
Cheng Dalei walked forward step by step, feeling somewhat comforted in his heart. There are many temperamental people in the world, and he must not be biased. This small glimpse of his old friend will also chill his heart.