Chapter 244: Being sold twice in Beijing
This was the first time Yue Lingshan had come to the capital since she was a child. From the moment she entered the city, she couldn't help but look around.

Liang Fa and two other Huashan disciples who came with her followed her. Feeling that the crowd was getting bigger and bigger, Liang Fa reminded her, "Little Junior Sister, please come closer. There are too many people here. We must not get separated."

"Okay." Yue Lingshan responded, then slowed down her pace and prepared to wait for Liang Fa.

At this moment, the merchant next to him shouted, "Today our store is offering a 30% discount. Anyone who needs it, please come in!"

This sentence immediately attracted the attention of a large number of pedestrians, and they all rushed into the store.

Yue Lingshan wanted to take a look at what the store was selling, but before she knew it, she got separated from Liang Fa and the others.

She stood alone on the street, watching the people coming and going, feeling a little flustered. You know, last time she went to Fuzhou, it was Lao Denuo who took her. When she went to Hengshan, she was escorted by Beggars' Sect disciples. This time when she came to the capital, she was also protected by Liang Fa and his two fellow apprentices.

So strictly speaking, this was her first time coming to a strange city alone.

Yue Lingshan immediately started looking on the street, but the further she walked, the more unfamiliar the scene seemed to her.

She was becoming more and more panicked, but she was still thinking about the martial arts experience her mother taught her: don't panic when you are lost, you can ask fellow martial artists for help, but you must tell them your sect and promise to reward them handsomely afterwards.

"Fellow martial artists." Yue Lingshan began to observe the people walking on the street. She needed to find out the martial artists among them.

An unknown amount of time had passed, but Yue Lingshan was so tired of looking that she couldn't tell which one of them was her fellow martial artist.

Just then, a kind-looking old woman passed by and saw a little girl with a confused expression. She came over and asked, "Little girl, are you separated from your family?"

Yue Lingshan looked up at the old woman and said without warning: "Yes, there were many people on the street, so we got separated in a short time."

When the old woman heard Yue Lingshan's foreign accent, she smiled even more kindly: "Where are you going, girl? I have lived in the capital for decades and I am very familiar with this place. But after you find a place, you have to pay a little hard work fee, is that okay?"

"Okay! Then we have a deal."

Yue Lingshan was a little hesitant at first, but when she heard that they wanted to collect money, she immediately let down her guard. She smiled and said, "I'm going to the Ou Mansion in Nanxunfang."

"Nanxunfang!"

The old woman's eyes narrowed, and after recalling for a while, she asked cheerfully, "That's where the high officials live. Could it be that the Ou Mansion is the residence of the newly promoted Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Ou Zanghua?"

"Has Senior Brother Ou become the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites? I remember he was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites before!" Upon hearing this, Yue Lingshan's face broke into a bright smile.

Upon seeing this, the old woman asked a few more questions, and after confirming that the girl really knew Ou Zanghua, she became even more polite to Yue Lingshan.

Seeing that it was already noon, the old woman simply invited Yue Lingshan to have lunch before going to Nanxunfang.

Yue Lingshan also felt hungry, so she agreed. She followed the old woman into a mutton restaurant, ordered a bowl of mutton noodles, and began to eat with a grunt.

The old woman found an excuse and went into the store, where the boss was already waiting.

"This girl today is pretty, she's pretty, with big breasts and a chubby butt. She's worth five taels of silver." As he said this, the boss took out a piece of silver and threw it to the old woman.

The old woman didn't take it, but smiled and said, "Boss, I won't sell this girl for five taels of silver. You have to double it at least."

"What do you mean?" The boss was stunned and asked casually.

"She is the junior sister of the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites." The old woman glanced around and said in a low voice.

The boss smiled and asked, "Does this old slave of yours know the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"

"Hey," the old woman waved her hand and said, "If he had become this official in his thirties or forties, I really wouldn't recognize him. But who made him a third-rank official in his twenties? There are probably not many people in the capital who haven't heard of Lord Ou's name."

The boss lowered his head and thought. Everyone knew that many high-ranking officials of the imperial court lived in Nanxunfang. Why didn't ordinary people go there to meet the children of officials or recommend themselves?

That's because that area is the focus of the Five Cities Military Department and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Ordinary people may be tortured by the Military Department or the Embroidered Uniform Guard just by getting close to it.

Over time, people knew that they should not go to that area unless necessary.

People like the old woman who trafficked outsiders this week didn't dare to get close to Nanxunfang.

After all, if the Five Cities Army and the Imperial Guards questioned her seriously, she might confess everything. Although the mutton shop owner had some connections, he was not yet able to contact Ou Zanghua.

But he was even more unwilling to give up this favor. As long as he could get in touch with Ou Zanghua, any little bit of money that he leaked would be enough for him to live a well-fed life, just like the eunuch party two years ago.

"Okay, I'll give you ten taels of silver. Go and calm her down first and wait for me to come back." The boss made a decisive decision. After letting the old woman go out, he immediately ran out from the back door and ran all the way to Chengshou Temple.

During the Ming Dynasty, at least publicly, officials' salaries were relatively low.

In addition, the Great Ming Code, Military Law V, Post Offices, stipulates: "Any official who occupies the upper room in the main hall of a post station while on official business shall be flogged fifty times."

This means that if officials from other provinces came to Beijing and sought comfort by staying in an upper room in a hotel, they would be beaten with fifty lashes if they were discovered.

Therefore, many officials who came to Beijing for business would choose to stay in temples. There were many temples in both Nanjing and Beijing, and most of them were large in scale, elegant in environment, comfortable in accommodation, and delicious in vegetarian meals. The living environment was even better than that of hotels and guild halls.

Chengshou Temple was first built in the second year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty, and its environment is one of the best in the eastern suburbs.

After the mutton restaurant owner entered the temple, he randomly grabbed a middle-aged man in a green robe with a bitter look on his face and said, "Sir, are you interested in connecting with the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"

"You idiot! I have a dinner appointment with the Prime Minister this afternoon. How could I know the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites with you?" The middle-aged man rolled his eyes at his boss, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to leave.

The boss was stunned, and immediately gave up on this person and continued looking for the next target.

Unfortunately, most people scoffed at his words. Just when the boss was about to sell the man to Baihualou to make back his investment, a young man came out and asked, "Can you really get in touch with the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"

The boss' eyes lit up, and he immediately patted his chest and said, "Of course, it only costs fifty taels, and I can let you meet Lord Ou, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, tonight!"

"Are you Lord Ou's man?" the young man asked with a slight frown.

The boss smiled and said, "I'm not, but there's someone in my store who is, and she will take you there."

"Okay, I'll give you five taels first, and then forty-five taels after you meet Lord Ou." The young man smiled and immediately took out five taels of change and put it in the boss's hand.

"This"

The boss looked at the five taels of silver and hesitated. You know, he spent ten taels of silver and only got five taels back.
Seeing this, Tang Bao promised seriously, "Haha, boss, don't worry. I, Tang Bao, have been an official for three years and I value integrity. Since I have promised, I will not regret it."

"So it's Mr. Tang. Since Mr. Tang said so, I will believe you this time!" The boss thought about it. The girl would probably only be sold for ten taels if sold to Baihualou, but she could make fifty taels here. So it's better to choose this place.

He immediately took Tang Bao back to the mutton shop. At this moment, Yue Lingshan had finished her mutton noodles and sat for a while. She couldn't stand it any longer and wanted to leave, but the old woman stopped her with various reasons.

She grabbed her sword and said angrily, "If you don't get out of the way, I won't be polite!"

The old woman sat down on the ground and started to speak: "Oh my god, this outsider is bullying us Beijingers! I was kind to her, but she wanted to chop me with a sword. She took my kindness for granted!"

"I, that's not what I meant!" Yue Lingshan saw people around her pointing fingers at her, and her chest heaved with anger. She stamped her feet and said, "Auntie, what on earth are you going to do?"

"Little girl, have two more bowls of noodles!" The old woman wiped away her non-existent tears and said happily.

"I've already eaten two bowls. I really can't eat any more!" Yue Lingshan pouted. She already regretted following the old woman.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

At this time, the owner of the mutton restaurant came in with Tang Bao, and explained with a smile: "Girl, you are too worried! Think about it, what kind of place is Nanxunfang? Can ordinary people like us go in? As for me, I specially found Mr. Tang for you. He will take you in, and you will go in smoothly!"

"Really?" Yue Lingshan glanced at the elegant Tang Bao, whose temperament was somewhat similar to that of Senior Brother Ou, and became a little hesitant.

Tang Bao looked a little strange. Why was their conversation different from what he thought?
"Of course!" The mutton restaurant owner pushed Tang Bao and winked at him.

Tang Bao was speechless for a while. Now he was sure that Lord Ou probably didn't know a single word about what this group of people had done.

He thought about it, then nodded and said, "I have an official position, so I can enter Nanxunfang."

(End of this chapter)