On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

After saying that, Host Bi raised his hand and gestured towards Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen knew that this was the opening remark, so he waved to the audience in a friendly manner.

"The Prime Minister of the current dynasty, Lord Sima Zhong!"

Sima Zhong was sitting on the second floor and also waved to everyone.

Sima Chunlei said sourly, "Why is father here too?"

"Your father is the prime minister of the dynasty. How could he not come to such a grand occasion?"

"Father, are you planning to buy one to compete with my mother for favor? That's too..."

"Don't think too much, just watch carefully."

Sima Chunlei became furious when she thought of a teenage girl competing with her mother for favor at home.

buy it.

As long as you dare to buy it, I will kill you.

I wonder who dares to compete with my mother for favor.

After introducing a group of high-ranking officials and celebrities, Bi continued, "Today, let's not talk about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Let's talk about the exquisiteness of Yangzhou's skinny horses."

He raised his hand, and twelve glazed lamps suddenly illuminated the vermilion lacquer screen in the corner of the stage. "Look at the 'Horse Selection Classic' on this screen. It was written by a former top scholar specifically for skinny horses. It emphasizes that the skinny should not be too thin, the small should not be too weak, the sharp should not be too sharp, and the bent should not be too crooked. Our protagonists tonight are all wonderful people who have been raised according to this twenty-four-character classic!"

A low exclamation came from the first floor.

"Oh~ It turns out there are so many things to pay attention to when it comes to skinny horses!"

"No wonder it's so valuable. It turns out it's cultivated."

"Such a good thing should have been brought to Daqian long ago. What future does it have in Nanchu?"

"First up..." Before the host finished his words, the vermilion lacquer screen creaked open, and eight young women carrying glass lanterns entered one after another. The flickering light of the lamps revealed the embroidered shoes under their moon-white skirts.

"Ten skinny green horses from Yangzhou Wanjinlou!"

He raised his hand to gesture, and the woman in front stepped forward in three-inch wooden clogs, the golden hair on her temples swaying with tiny silver lights.

"This is Madam Wang from Wanjinlou. The skinny horses she's handled could be lined up from Yangzhou to the capital. She's the one who knows how to train someone to have the 'lotus step' technique!"

As she spoke, Mother Wang bowed to all around her and said, "I pay my respects to all the distinguished guests!"

She was graceful and had a faint smile on her face, which showed that this was not her first time attending such an occasion.

Sima Chunlei suddenly grabbed Lin Zhen's sleeve and said, "Husband, what's so special about the green flea and thin horse?"

"Your Highness, this is an allusion to the story of taking the green aphid to repay a debt," Zhang Li explained softly. "It refers to buying a skinny horse that can bring wealth to the master. This kind of horse is most favored by merchants."

She looked at the skinny horses lined up in two rows on the stage, and saw that they all had jade pendants in the shape of green aphid coins tied around their waists. Suddenly, she sighed softly.

Poor girls, even if they were bought back they were just given away as toys.

"Dear guests, please pay attention!" Mother Wang spoke in Yangzhou Mandarin, her tone dragging out like it was soaked in glutinous rice wine. "The girls in our Wanjin Tower are as young as thirteen and as old as sixteen. We can't say we are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but we all know the "Instructions for Women" and "Inner Discipline". We can certainly serve tea and sing songs to entertain people."

She raised her hand and gently nudged the girl on the far left. "This is our Xiao Man. She has a pair of phoenix eyes and plays the pipa beautifully. Last year at the Yangzhou Salt Merchants' Banquet, the three masters fought over her! But I couldn't bear to sell her, so I brought her to the capital to be seen by all of you nobles!"

From the east side of the first floor came frivolous laughter. A wealthy businessman in dark green satin stroked his beard and shouted, "Mother Wang, don't keep us in suspense. Let's see your figure!"

"That's right, you're blocking the view, what are we supposed to see?"

"Get out of the way!"

"That's right! They say it takes three years to develop a skinny horse's gait. Let's see it today!"

The officials around him joined in the commotion, and the coral beads on their cuffs made crisp sounds.

Lin Zhen looked at the girls on the stage and saw that they folded their hands on their abdomens, and their skirts brushed the ground as they moved their lotus steps lightly. They really had the charm of "swaying every three steps and stopping every five steps".

The girl in the center has a goose-yellow flower ornament on her brow. When she turns around, the cinnabar mole on the back of her neck is revealed, looking like a withered plum blossom.

"What a great Lotus-growing Step!" A military officer's rough voice came from the second floor. Lin Zhen looked out and saw that it was Zhou Ze.

I never noticed this old pervert before.

"This waist is softer than a willow branch. It will melt if I hold it in my arms! Hahahaha." His words caused a burst of laughter. Even the ladies on the third floor covered their mouths with their fans and laughed.

"Dear guests, please be patient," the host said at the right moment, unfolding the gilded folding fan in his hand. "The ten young ladies of Wanjinlou are all talented in the art of playing the zither, chess, and calligraphy and painting!"

He pointed at the second girl and said, "Look at this little girl. She can recite 300 chapters of the Chess Classic. When playing with guests, she even knows how to deliberately give up pieces. She is the one who pleases the masters the most."

Sima Chunlei suddenly leaned in close, and the scent of rouge mixed with the cool air of sour plum soup hit her face. "My dear husband, look quickly! That girl in the lilac-colored skirt has a waist two inches narrower than my plain gauze skirt. Oh my god, how did she train herself to be that way? Will she be able to handle the errands in the palace in the future?"

"A skinny horse is like a willow leaning against the wind."

Lin Zhen looked at the girls' waists, which were bound so tightly that they could hardly breathe, and said admiringly, "Girls like this are worth a higher price. This is tradition and also aesthetics. But whether they are bought back as concubines or maids depends entirely on the master's wishes."

On the stage, Madam Wang was showing off the embroidered handkerchiefs of the young ladies one by one. "Dear guests, look at these stitches! These girls have been practicing since dawn. Even the cracks between their fingernails are stained with rouge and powder." She suddenly held up a handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers. "This is my little embroiderer's handiwork. If you buy it back and make it your maid, I'm sure she'll please you."

"Come on, Mother Wang," someone on the first floor interrupted loudly, "We didn't buy skinny horses to be maids!"

"Yup!"

"Whose family is still in need of a maid? Hahahaha."

Amidst the laughter, the man shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! I'll pay you a hundred taels for the little girl who can play the pipa!"

"One hundred taels? How dare you say that!" Someone immediately raised the price, "I'll offer two hundred taels!"

"three hundred!"

"Four hundred taels, I want that little chess piece, it's just right for me to play chess with!"

"Small chess? Small chess must be at least 600! I'll give 600!"

The bidding exploded like boiling water.

Huanbi's eyes widened as she suddenly grabbed Lin Zhen's hand and said, "Listen, my dear! The price has quadrupled in just a few moments. Is this skinny horse really worth so much? When I entered the mansion, it was only worth fifteen taels of silver."

"Hahahaha, of course they can't compare to you, but skinny horses are always priced this way."

Huanbi looked at Zhang Li and said, "Sister Zhang Li always says that casinos are dens of money. Now it seems that the Skinny Horse Sale is the real gold den."

"Five hundred taels!" Zhou Ze raised his sign, blushing. "I want that little girl. Her waist is just right for me! I'll be furious with anyone who tries to take her away!"

His words caused a round of boos, but made Mother Wang laugh so hard that she couldn't stop.

Lin Zhen looked at the girls on the stage and saw that although they had faint smiles on their faces, there was a hint of numbness in their eyes.

The pipa-playing girl named Xiaoman still had calluses on her fingertips from practicing the instrument, but when the host called out "four hundred taels", she bowed obediently to the rich businessman who made the bid.

"Fifty cows! I want that little Xiu!"

This sudden remark stunned everyone present.

Everyone turned around and saw two grassland men from Manmeng sitting there with their horses and swords, their faces full of excitement.

Suddenly the whole place was in an uproar.

"How dare you! This is our Daqian's grand event, what does it have to do with you?"

"That's right, fifty cows! How dare you say that!"

"Where did you come from, you idiot? Get out!"

Lin Zhen's fingertips also suddenly tightened.

Although skinny horses are bought and sold, it is our Han Chinese business and we will never allow outsiders to get involved.

"Husband, don't be impulsive. Let's see what the host says." Zhang Li shook her head slightly, signaling him to stay calm.

Mother Wang obviously hadn't expected a foreign merchant to offer such a price. She was stunned for a moment, curled her lips, rolled her eyes and said, "My dear warrior, I'm sorry, but we Han children don't sell to foreigners."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhen said with a heartfelt gratitude, "Well said. Let's continue the auction."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"A few barbarians from the Mongolian state dared to lay their hands on our Han women."

"What a toad wanting to eat swan flesh!"

"You've brought shame upon yourself!"

"You!" The man dressed in nomadic attire stood up and shouted, "You are discriminating!"

"I discriminate against you, so what?"

"You want to fight? Or start a war?"

"If you don't want it, get out!"

"You! You Daqian bullies! I'm going to go back and sue the Khan and punish you severely!"

Before he could finish his words, he was dragged out by several strong men who were guarding the place.

No one cared about the farce and the auction continued.

At this time, someone shouted: "How much is Xiaolian?"

Mother Wang finally put on a smile and said, "This gentleman has good taste. Our Xiaolian is the top pick in Wanjinlou, and the starting price is five hundred taels!"

"Five hundred and fifty taels!" The salt merchant on the first floor immediately raised the price. "I want Xiaolian. Go back and be my granddaughter-in-law!"

The bidding became louder and louder, and finally Xiaolian was sold for eight hundred taels, becoming the most expensive of the ten skinny horses in Wanjinlou.

As she lowered her head and followed the buyer off the stage, the flower ornament between her eyebrows was blurred by sweat, like a faded spring cherry.

"Most of these girls were sold to matchmakers by their parents for five taels of silver. Once they were raised to sixteen, they could be sold for a thousand taels." She looked at Sima Chunlei. "Does your Majesty know that five taels of silver can buy three stone of rice in Yangzhou?"

Sima Chunlei's smile suddenly faded, and her fingers unconsciously stroked her handkerchief. "What does it matter? If they weren't sold as skinny horses, they wouldn't even have enough to eat three stone of white rice. Rather than eating coarse food in a poor family, it's better to be a concubine in a rich family. At least you can wear gold and silver."

"Wearing gold and silver?" Zhang Li chuckled. "Your Majesty, don't you know? When a skinny horse enters the house, they have to perform the face-opening ceremony, where they use silk thread to twist out the fine hair on their face. It's excruciatingly painful. If they're not favored, they'll be sold into prostitution, where they won't even be worth five taels of silver."

"That's better than not having any food, right?"

Lin Zhen looked at the wife and concubine who each insisted on their own opinion, and suddenly felt that their argument was just like the lights on the stage.

Some people see prosperity, while others see sadness.

He suddenly said, "Stop arguing. The 'Lean Horse Industry Rules' will be implemented next month. From now on, the origins of skinny horses must be stated when they are bought and sold, and they must be at least sixteen years old before they can be sold. The situation of skinny horses will get better and better in the future. Li'er, don't be sad."

After saying this, he looked at Sima Chunlei and said, "Chun'er, do you know why I set the age limit at sixteen?"

Sima Chunlei shook her head, and the jade hairpin in her hair swayed gently.

Lin Zhen suddenly looked towards the stage and saw the last skinny horse being bought for three hundred taels. A wry smile appeared on his lips: "Because sixteen is the age when they can decide for themselves whether to stay or go."

On the stage, the host is building momentum for the next group of skinny horses, and the crystal chandelier is still shining brightly.

Lin Zhen leaned on the sofa, looking at the sparkling oriental pearls on the gold-thread carpet, and suddenly felt that what he saw and heard that night was just the tip of the iceberg of Yangzhou's skinny horse industry chain.

Those girls whose prices are clearly marked and whose fates fluctuate amid bidding will eventually see some changes under the implementation of "The Rules of the Skinny Horse Industry".

Even if it's just to give them a little more dignity as human beings when they are selected.

"Look, my dear!" Sima Chunlei suddenly pointed at the stage. "The next group of skinny horses is about to appear. This time it's the Xuemei skinny horses. I heard that they are all born with pure and innocent skin, with skin as white as snow."

She turned to look at Zhang Li, "Sister, do you think we should buy a few for our palace?"

Zhang Li didn't say anything.

Lin Zhen looked at the glimmer in her eyes and suddenly remembered the focused look on her face when she was peeling crabs in the casino last night.

Perhaps, change should start with these seemingly insignificant regulations, just like the lights in this theater, which, although unable to illuminate every corner, can allow the girls standing on the stage to see a glimmer of hope to break free from their shackles.