"Hey, that Yao Ji had his collarbones pierced by Jiao Zhu; can that thing of his still work?" asked a Jiao woman around twenty years old.
Jiang Jin couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. Was it 'that thing' she was thinking of? Wait, were people in this era really so open-minded?
She also noticed at this moment that the clothes around the collarbones of the man kneeling at the very front were indeed severely torn and mottled with blood.
He was wearing hand and foot shackles, and a thick iron chain was looped around his neck.
Jiang Jin actually felt a bit of admiration for him; despite such injuries, he still knelt with his back perfectly straight.
"What was pierced were his collarbones, not that thing. It definitely won't affect it. Don't worry, it absolutely still works," explained a man whose face was powdered as white as a corpse.
He was one of Jiao Zhu's most favored male concubines, named Qu Xin. Today, he was responsible for selling Yao Ji and the other two men.
He previously thought he was going to fall out of favor. After all, Yao Ji was a military general, so he was surely strong in that aspect, and he was handsome to boot.
As it turned out, Yao Ji not only refused to cooperate, but he also loudly cursed Jiao Zhu, saying she smelled of sheep dung and that a barbarian like her should go back to her savage lands to herd sheep.
This enraged Jiao Zhu so much that she whipped him heavily. She whipped him three times a day, and after the beatings, she would sprinkle bitter salt water on his wounds. Yet, he remained unyielding, never uttering a sound or begging for mercy. When she whipped him too hard, he would even curse at her a couple more times.
At first, Jiao Zhu thought she could tame him, torturing him day after day like this. However, two months passed without any results. Yao Ji was like a stone in a cesspit—hard and foul-tempered.
Jiao Zhu finally lost her patience. She directly ordered someone to pierce his collarbones and decided to sell him off as a slave.
It would be best if he were bought by a man who favored other men. Since he refused to do it with her, he could just let others do it to him.
Unfortunately, although many of the Jiao people favored male lovers, they all preferred the slender, delicate, and beautiful types.
Yao Ji, being a general, had good looks, but he had absolutely nothing to do with being slender or delicate.
Not to mention that Yao Ji was now covered in scars, and even his face had been slashed by her beyond recognition. It was even less likely that anyone would take a fancy to him.
She didn't want to make things difficult for her own people, so she had Qu Xin drag him over to the brothel area to sell, hoping someone with this particular taste would buy him.
At this time, an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old Jiao woman asked curiously, "Did Jiao Zhu not succeed? Is it that he can't perform, or is Jiao Zhu lacking?"
Qu Xin wasn't angry. "Our lady is naturally capable. As for him, well, that depends on your methods."
The woman looked at Yao Ji with a face full of interest. "You're making me itch to try it out. How much?"
Qu Xin answered with a smile, "Our lady said it will cost a hundred bolts of silk."
The woman scoffed. "He's already in this state, yet she still wants a hundred bolts of silk? Too expensive. Ten bolts is the absolute highest."
Qu Xin still wasn't angry. "An ordinary person naturally wouldn't command this price. But he is Yao Ji, the young master of the County Commandant's family. He's worth the price."
Saying this, he tugged at the iron chain around Yao Ji's neck. "He is an excellent rider, brave and skilled in battle. As long as you have the means to make him rise to the occasion, he will definitely be good in that aspect too. He's worth two ordinary men."
While this bizarre bargaining was going on, Jiang Jin noticed that Zhou Sui's expression was somewhat off. She couldn't help but frown and asked in a low voice, "Is something wrong?"
Zhou Sui was silent for a moment before saying, "Can we buy them?"
Yao Ji, son of Yao Chong, the County Commandant of Liangcheng.
Serving as officials in the same court and both being military generals, he knew Yao Chong. The two had fought alongside each other in several joint operations.
Yao Chong's tragic end gave him a feeling of the fox mourning the death of the hare.
He had also met Yao Chong's son, Yao Ji, a few times. Yao Ji had made a name for himself in his youth; who knows how many Jiao people had died under his cavalry lance.
Yet now, he was being humiliated, traded, and haggled over like a slave. This was Yao Ji's sorrow, the sorrow of the Yan Kingdom, and even more so, the sorrow of the Han people.
Whether it was Yao Chong, who sacrificed his life defending the city for his country, or Yao Ji, who bravely fought the enemy with passionate blood, they both deserved to be saved.
They were all heroes and warriors who had held on to the very last moment for the Yan Kingdom!
Jiang Jin understood the look in his eyes. She remained silent for a long time before asking, "I don't understand. I get selling soldiers, but shouldn't generals be killed? Aren't they afraid of rearing a tiger that will cause trouble later?"
Zhou Sui was very patient with Jiang Jin. "Selling soldiers as slaves is a common practice among many factions."
"If these soldiers can't be subdued, keeping them is a waste of food, but killing them is a pity. It's better to exchange them for something practical."
"However," his brows furrowed, "a general like Yao Ji would usually be killed if he couldn't be subdued, as the threat is too great. For him to be sold here now, I'm afraid they have some ulterior motive."
Jiang Jin understood.
She looked at Yao Ji and the other two, her eyes calm. "Your proposal is good. However, we need to get a change of clothes first."
Looking at their current ragged clothes, no one would believe they had a hundred bolts of silk. The main point was, she really didn't have it!
Zhou Sui was taken aback for a moment, and for some reason, his eyes suddenly felt a bit hot. He had regretted it as soon as he suggested buying Yao Ji.
Although he didn't know Princess Jinyang's true purpose in coming to Liangcheng, it was nothing more than seeking revenge against Jiao Liang. At this time, what they should do most was keep a low profile and minimize their presence.
Once they made this transaction, they would inevitably become the center of attention. This was highly likely to ruin her plans and add difficulty to her goals.
But, she still agreed!
At this moment, he deeply realized that she harbored a compassionate heart for the officials and the people of the Yan Kingdom!
A hint of a smile quickly colored his eyes again as he took the lead, walking toward a nearby alley.
Having just finished scouting the area, they were fairly familiar with the city. The two soon found a relatively wealthy household and used copper coins to buy two sets of nearly new clothes.
A quarter of an hour later, the two returned to the scene where Yao Ji was being sold.
As expected, Yao Ji hadn't been bought yet.
Zhou Sui quickly stepped forward. "I'll buy him for thirty bolts of silk."
Qu Xin's eyes lit up. This was the highest offer so far. He pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Eighty bolts is the minimum."
Seeing that Zhou Sui was about to agree, Jiang Jin, well-versed in the underlying reasons, immediately bargained, "No, fifty bolts at most, not a bolt more. We might not even be able to keep this guy alive after buying him."
Qu Xin glanced at her, then turned back to Zhou Sui. "Are you buying him to be this little lady's husband?"
Zhou Sui couldn't help but recall what Jiang Jin had just told him: Jiao Zhu is selling Yao Ji to humiliate him; the more despicable you act, the more likely they are to sell him to you.
Enduring his psychological discomfort, his gaze turned vicious and a bit lecherous. "Of course not. How could he be worthy of my Jiaojiao?"
Truth be told, such an expression paired with his distinctive triangular eyes really gave him an outstanding aura.
Vulgar yet arrogant, arrogant yet somewhat ignorant, ignorant with a touch of stupidity, and stupidly ferocious—at first glance, he looked exactly like the type who was foolish without knowing it.
Zhou Sui's words continued: "Yao Ji is the son of the County Commandant, a figure we commoners wouldn't even dare to dream about before. But now, to be able to make him submit beneath me, why wouldn't I take the pleasure?"
As soon as these words came out, Yao Ji, who had been keeping his head down, looked up at Zhou Sui with a fierce glare. "Pah! How could someone like me ever be coveted by a rat like you? Scram!"
His words were ruthless and domineering, but unfortunately, they were weak and lacking in strength. The man was already at the end of his rope.
Jiang Jin finally got a clear look at his face—or rather, she didn't. His face was marred by over a dozen twisted scars, both old and new. The flesh was torn and mangled, completely obliterating his original features.
The only thing she could clearly make out were his bloodshot eyes. Within those depths lay the vengeance of a fallen nation and a ruined family, an unyielding resentment, along with profound desolation and despair.
Qu Xin sneered, ignoring Yao Ji's words, and looked at Zhou Sui instead. Fifty bolts of silk it is.
Jiang Jin turned her attention to the other two slaves and asked, How much for these two?
Qu Xin cast a glance at her. This young woman didn't seem very old, but she was undeniably rather ugly. Her triangular eyes, in particular, gave off a deeply unsettling feeling. And she went by the name Jiaojiao?
He quickly averted his gaze to avoid sullying his eyes. Forty bolts of silk each, eighty for the pair.
Jiang Jin's expression turned intensely critical. Too expensive.
