Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

"What?!" Cong Jinghai was a little dumbfounded: "You mean, those two inside... are mother and daughter?"

No, this was too unexpected. According to their original suspicions, Jin Shiniang was definitely involved in Wu Yue's disappearance. But if they were mother and daughter, how could her daughter have died for no apparent reason? Why did the woman capture Jiang Shangxian?

"If she was her daughter, why didn't she come to report the case after she had been missing for such a long time?" Cui Bianxu couldn't understand it either. He knew that it was not easy to be an official in the Dali Temple!

"When I arrived at Jinfenmeng, her daughter was only about nine years old. I think you all know what Jinfenmeng is like. People like Jin Shiniang who redeemed themselves but refused to leave would keep their daughters under strict watch and wouldn't let them go out easily, let alone come to the front."

Wu Sanniang carefully recalled the time she saw Jin Lin two years ago, becoming increasingly certain: "It must be Jin Lin. Jin Shiniang kept a close eye on her daughter. About two years ago, for some reason, a guest in the building, perhaps drunk, accidentally walked to the back and ran into Jin Lin. I heard that Jin Shiniang beat Jin Lin severely. I usually sleep during the day, but that day Jin Lin cried so hard that she woke me up."

When people recall the past, their memories are always vague, but there must be one point that is particularly profound.

What Wu Sanniang remembered most about this incident was Jin Lin's crying and begging for mercy, which seemed to be mixed with endless humiliation and hatred.

Cong Jinghai couldn't help but be shocked. He only had one son, who was only ten years old this year. Although he was not as well-behaved and obedient as his daughter, and was still very naughty, he couldn't bear to beat him. He beat his fifteen-year-old daughter so hard that people could hear it from far away. Jin Shiniang was really cruel.

"and then?"

"Originally, I could see Jinlin several times a year, but after that, it became even less frequent. Throughout the year, at best, I could only see her once a day."

Wu Sanniang thought of the mother and daughter lying there, and she felt sorry for them: "Who on earth is so cruel? They are mother and daughter and have to rely on each other for survival, which is already difficult..."

Cui Bianxu looked away in disgust. What a difficult thing!

They are so idle that they dare to beat people in the street! If life were easier, wouldn’t they just go up the mountain and become bandits?

He took off his purse and opened it. When he was about to take out the money, he thought of what had just happened. He pursed his lips and took a little more and threw it to Wu Sanniang. Then he said to Cong Jinghai, "Send her back."

"Thank you, sir." Wu Sanniang put away the heavy copper coins and was so happy that she stopped cursing in her heart and walked out happily.

Humph, she doesn’t want this dress anymore after I gave her so much. Go buy a new one tomorrow!

(Silver was not used as a circulating currency in the Tang Dynasty. Silver ingots were generally used for rewards from the emperor, tributes from princes and foreign countries, taxes, overseas trade, etc. The mainstream currencies of the Tang Dynasty were Kaiyuan Tongbao and silk.)

Yong'anfang

Jiang Shangxian tossed and turned with her eyes closed again. It was not because of dysmenorrhea, but she had vowed to have a regular menstrual period. At this time, she had two stones wrapped in cotton cloth that were heated in the stove on her belly for health care.

She was mainly worried about Wu Sanniang. She didn't know whether everything would go smoothly. She was quite conflicted. On the one hand, she was afraid of implicating Wu Sanniang, but on the other hand, she wanted to catch the murderer as soon as possible. Her own personal safety was one thing, but the lives of so many young ladies were still unknown.

If this guy is caught earlier, we can have an answer as to whether he is alive or dead, otherwise we will be worried all day long.

While she was thinking, there was a gentle knock on the door: "Nian Nu, Nian Nu, are you asleep?"

"No!" It was Jiang's mother's voice. Not knowing why she was looking for him so late at night, Jiang Shangxian got up from the bed and went to open the door: "Mother, what's wrong?"

Jiang's mother squeezed into the room, seeming a little embarrassed, and didn't know how to start.

Jiang Shangxian was even more confused. What was going on? It was late at night, and her mind was completely confused. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind and she thought of a possibility. She asked tentatively, "Mother, why are you so embarrassed? Could it be that...Mother wants to remarry?"

The Tang Dynasty strongly supported widows remarrying, especially in the early Tang Dynasty. Many people died in wars, and population was the basic strength of a country. Only with talents could there be construction and development, and only with people could there be farming and joining the army. The court encouraged widows to remarry and have more children.

If Jiang's mother wanted to remarry, as long as the other party was a good and down-to-earth person, she would definitely support it.

Jiang's mother lost all her shyness at her words. She slapped her on the shoulder, making her stagger, and scolded her, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little bitch! Why did you have to wait until now to get married again?!"

"It hurts! Mother, it hurts!"

Jiang's mother was so angry that she almost laughed. Is her daughter crazy? How could she think of marrying Jia again?

Oh, I guessed wrong...

Jiang Shangxian rubbed the painful spot with a grin, thinking that his strength was too great. If he were to fight with someone, he would have to be a high-level fighter.

He quickly changed the subject to avoid being hit again: "So, what's up, mother?"

Jiang's mother walked to the couch and was about to sit down when she remembered that her daughter had a problem. It was okay for her to be a little dirty on weekdays, but she had to take a bath and change into clean clothes before going to bed, otherwise she would have to take off the bedspread and wash and dry it again.

She didn't feel tired from washing and scrubbing, but she felt sorry for the fabric. Not only would it fade if washed too much, but it would also easily become damaged and worn.

She paused, sat down on a low stool beside her, and whispered, "That's right, what you said last time, I thought about it, and it makes sense. Although your father is gone, you two haven't started a family yet. Although you are a young lady, according to the rules of our Chang'an, you can also get half of the things in this family. Otherwise, when you go to your husband's family in the future, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold your head up high."

For a woman, dowry is her confidence. After all, her husband's family is not as rich as her own. It is not good to live by pleasing others.

Jiang Shangxian was completely confused. She had never learned about the local custom of marrying off daughters. She just subconsciously assumed that the feudal society valued sons over daughters, and that the property was given to the sons, while the daughters only received a dowry and were considered to belong to other families.

I didn't expect it to be split evenly?

"This yard must be left to Erlang. I'll keep some of the money from the family, and the rest will be divided equally between you two. I'm thinking about whether we can find a way to make more money."

Mother Jiang said, tentatively: "These past two days, Zhou Sanniang from Yongpingfang told me about a business deal that is quite good."

Yongpingfang and Yong'anfang are right next to each other, separated by the Yong'an Canal. Zhou Sanniang is considered a minor celebrity in this area.

Although she came from a merchant family, she married a good citizen. It was said that the dowry was very large when they got married. She had seen it several times and it was clear from the way she was dressed that she was very wealthy.

But when Jiang Shangxian heard about the business, he directly refused: "Mother, it's fine to be a small vendor, but if you want to open a shop, we will be merchants when we go out in the future."

If she wasn't afraid of becoming a merchant, she would have many ways to make money and there would be no need to form a partnership with others.

When doing business together, there is a 100% chance that something will go wrong.

"Oh, no." Jiang's mother waved her hands. "It's not this business, it's her family's. Oh, you didn't see it. The jewelry on her head, the fabric on her body..."

When Jiang's mother thought of the jewelry on Zhou Sanniang, she couldn't help but feel jealous. No matter how old a woman is, most of them love beauty and these exquisite things. She couldn't help but go off topic.

"Mother..." Jiang Shangxian interrupted helplessly. It was already such a late hour, why didn't you talk about other people's clothes at length instead of getting to the point?

No matter how good other people’s things are, they are not yours.

"Yes, she told me that her brother learned to trade with someone last year and made a lot of money that year. He went there again at the beginning of this year. There are two routes from here to Dayuan. This year he took the other one. If this one goes well, he will form his own caravan to Dayuan next year."

In fact, Jiang's mother didn't know whether these two paths were different or not. She had never been to school and only knew about it after hearing Zhou Sanniang talk about it.

Jiang Shangxian knew the general idea. It was said that there were two roads, but in fact, they just passed Jiayuguan and then split into three: Hami, Loulan, and Jingjue. In the middle was the Tarim Basin, and finally it reached the Pamir Plateau. It was because of the defeat of the Ferghana horses by Emperor Wu of Han that the Dayuan Kingdom cried out for help.

This is the Fergana Valley in present-day Uzbekistan.

But the question is, how is her mother going to make this money? She can't go out to other people's places to work as a helper or do business at her age, right?