Chapter 24: Living as a dog or living in misery, it’s all living!
Towers were the only entertainment venues for the people of Qin.
This is the only place where you can legally drink freely, talk loudly, and have sex with women.
Standing outside the tower, there is no obvious difference between it and other Qin houses.
They are all the traditional blue-gray brick and wood mixed buildings that have always been inherited from the Qin State, with no aesthetic appeal, solid and standardized.
Apart from the two words "Loutai" written in large seal characters above the outer gate, there is nothing special about it.
The outer door was open, and when the Qin people passed by here, no matter whether they were men or women, there would be a hint of longing in their eyes when they glanced at this place.
Even though most of them have never stepped over the threshold of the outer door of the building, and have never seen what the scenery is like inside the locked inner door.
It is rumored that inside the inner door there is not only unlimited meat, but also wine that is never circulated on the market.
The Qin people fantasized about going in one day to have a good meal and chat happily.
Then they continue to move forward mechanically and numbly, doing what they are supposed to do.
Wine and meat are the most beautiful things that most Qin people can imagine and pursue.
As for women, they don't even have fantasies.
If you can't afford it, that's another price.
With the income of most Qin people, their ten years of savings are not enough for a night in Qinlou.
So although the building is open to the public, its high price makes it unaffordable for ordinary people.
This building is destined to be a gathering place for dignitaries.
After entering the main gate of the building and walking along a gravel road of more than ten meters under the cold gaze of two government guards at the door, you will reach the inner door of the building.
At the inner gate, there were also two government guards stationed there, one on the left and one on the right, each holding a spear.
These four guards are all military personnel and belong to the Xianyang city defense force.
There are government guards guarding it, which shows that the building is a real official institution.
In a sense, the building of the tower is the same as the buildings such as the Neishi Palace, the Tingwei Palace, and the Prime Minister's Palace.
The two government guards outside the inner gate will ask the visitors to show assets sufficient to spend in the building, which is to verify their capital.
I'm sorry if you can't come up with enough money to spend in the building.
Why go to the rooftop for a stroll if you have no money?
Do you know that you have broken the law?
The Imperial Palace, the Great Wall, or the Imperial Mausoleum. Pick one.
Only after the capital verification is passed will the guards open the inner door and let the guests in.
The moment the inner door, which looked just like the outer door and was ordinary, was opened.
Laughter and joy will burst forth.
The aroma of wine and meat will spread for ten miles.
The beauty's posture will add a touch of bright color to this monotonous, rigid and mechanical Xianyang city.
If a Qin person happened to pass by the entrance of the tower and took a look inside, and this Qin person had very good eyesight, he would be able to see the scene inside the inner door.
It is no exaggeration to say that it would be a topic of boasting to him, his wife and neighbors, the most unforgettable experience in his monotonous life, and something he would not be able to forget for ten years.
Why do we need to add exactly three here ?
Because if it was not a coincidence but intentional, and if one lingered at the outer door of the tower in order to see the shyness of a beauty inside the tower or to smell the aroma of wine and meat, this would be a violation of Qin law.
The Imperial Palace, the Great Wall, or the Imperial Mausoleum. Pick one.
The ordinary Qin people spent their lives either farming or joining the army, dealing with earth and weapons every day. There was nothing new to see.
The shame of Tunliu that happened to Ying Chengjiao a few years ago is still a topic of conversation for most Qin people in their rare leisure time - it is better to have no son at all than to have a son like the prince's brother!
Therefore, it is a very rare thing in Qin to see the interior view of buildings, which is very common in other countries.
But in the eyes of the Qin people, the interior view of the building was a great topic of conversation even at a glance, but Ying Chengjiao had long been tired of it.
"How many years has it been? The Prime Minister's Mansion has been demolished and rebuilt twice, can't you renovate your building?"
Ying Chengjiao held two beauties in his arms and pointed at the mottled blue bricks on the ground with disdain.
"This is so shabby, it really affects my mood for playing out!"
The female steward standing in front of Ying Chengjiao was in her twenties, about the same age as Ying Chengjiao.
She smiled sweetly, her eyes conveyed affection, and she had a special enthusiasm for Ying Chengjiao.
Whenever Ying Chengjiao was in Xianyang, he would come to the tower to have fun one day every three days. Half of the tower's income came from Ying Chengjiao, so the female housekeeper had no choice but to pay attention to it.
In the Qin State, Ying Chengjiao was a popular person only in the towers.
"Sir, I also want to live in a better place, but this building is a government property. How can I ask for repairs?"
He first complained pitifully to Ying Chengjiao, and the housekeeper then started ordering the servants around.
"Didn't you see that Master Jun was angry when he saw the floor tiles? Why don't you take action!"
"promise."
The servant trotted over, found a hammer and a wedge from somewhere, came back and squatted in front of Ying Chengqiu, ready to attack the floor tile that made Ying Chengqiu unhappy.
The housekeeper was furious.
What country is this new slave from?
How can you be so stupid?
She kicked the servant over with a merciless kick, which made the servant fly a foot into the air before falling to the ground.
When he fell to the ground, the wedge in his hand cut his arm, leaving a bloody mark of three or four centimeters.
"Stupid! These floor tiles are public property! Why are you prying them away? Do you think you have a lot of trouble?"
Judging from the servants' faces and heights, they were all about 11 or 12 years old. In modern times, this age is when a person would be heartless .
But in the Qin tower, the servant, who was still a child, endured the severe pain in his abdomen and blood on his forearm. His face was pale and his eyes were terrified. He kowtowed and apologized to the housekeeper repeatedly in non-standard Qin language.
"I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"
Li Chen is the title of male slaves subordinate to the official.
Female slaves who were subordinate to the government were called concubines.
The two became slaves and concubines.
No matter in which era, slaves are always a group of people with the lowest social status.
No, they cannot even be called human beings. In the eyes of others, slaves are just goods and livestock.
The housekeeper ignored the blood on the servant's arm and had a fierce look in her eyes.
"Zhao people?"
Each region has its own accent, not to mention the two countries.
The Qin language spoken by the servants was not standard, but rather strange, with a strong Zhao accent.
The servant shuddered, then crouched down with his eyes closed, and lay on the ground like a quail.
He was afraid of death, otherwise he would not have been captured and taken to Qin to become a slave, so he did not dare to answer - he was indeed from Zhao.
Qin and Zhao were enemies for generations, hostile to each other and irreconcilable.
The conflict between the two sides originated from the Battle of Changping, which shocked the world. Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an in Qin, killed 400,000 Zhao soldiers who surrendered.
Killing prisoners is a taboo, let alone killing 400,000 prisoners.
This directly led to the Zhao people's extreme hatred of the Qin people, and after being hated for a long time, the Qin people also became full of hostility towards the Zhao people.
The servant lowered his head. Although he did not see the fierce look in the housekeeper's eyes, he knew from the voice that he had admitted that he was from Zhao and he might die here today.
Silence itself is an answer.
"Take him away! Send him to Mount Li!"
"Please have mercy on me, sir! Please have mercy on me, sir! I know I am wrong!"
The servant kept begging for mercy. He was in the voice change period and his voice was a little sharp with a crying tone.
Mount Li is where the emperor's tomb is located.
Being sent to Mount Li meant that the servants were made into prisoners.
A child like this would not last more than three months as a prisoner.
The threat of death made the servants' voices drown out the sounds of drinking and music in the pavilion.
There were many guests in the building, and most of them heard it, but no one looked over here.
They've gotten used to it.
The life and death of slaves and concubines is insignificant.
In the Qin State, slaves and concubines died every day.
"Noise, noise, noise! It's so annoying! Will you let me play?"
Ying Chengjiao looked impatient.
"Wait a moment, Master. Get out of here!"
The housekeeper kicked away the servant who kept begging for mercy.
"Someone, come here! Clean up the dirty blood on the floor first! Then get a tiger skin and spread it here! Lord, this way you won't be able to see the floor tiles!"
Towers are government buildings and cannot be dismantled at will according to personal preference, as that would violate Qin law.
The first thing the housekeeper thought of was to find a piece of tiger skin that Ying Chengjiao liked and cover the mottled floor tile instead of digging it out.
Before the servant had recovered from the pain of the previous kick, he was kicked even harder, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the sorrow in his heart. His face was ashen and his heart was cold.
If he was sent to Mount Li, he would be dead.
He lay on the ground, blood dripping from his arms, waiting for someone to drag him down.
Some people are alive, but they are already dead and are waiting to die.
"The floor is so dirty! Who told you to spread the tiger skin on the floor?!"
Crash~
A bottle of expensive wine, which the Qin people could never drink in their lifetime, was poured on the female steward's face by Ying Chengjiao.
The housekeeper had alcohol on her hair, face, and eyelashes. She looked very embarrassed. She wiped the alcohol off her face.
"Don't be angry, sir. How about bear skin?"
Crash~
Ying Chengjiao did not answer, but poured another glass of wine on the housekeeper. The housekeeper knew that Xiong Pi was no longer useful.
"What about deerskin? Deerskin should be fine, right? Master, please stop splashing it!"
Wine is very expensive. Although women can drink wine as managers in this building, they cannot drink it often.
She held Ying Chengjiao's hands with both hands, stuck out her tongue and licked the wine on her lips.
This action, coupled with the pretty face splashed with wine, is very tempting.
Then he stared at Ying Chengjiao with his big eyes blinking, and drank the bottle of wine in Ying Chengjiao's hand in small sips.
The beauties sitting on both sides of Ying Chengjiao's body exchanged eye contact.
I haven't learned this. Have I taught you?
No! Damn it! She has a hidden trick!
The female steward said incoherently: "Jun Ye, what do you do (Jun Ye, what do you say we should do)!"
"This dirty ground is not fit for laying animal skins. You, come here!"
Ying Chengjiao pointed at the servant who was being dragged up like a corpse.
The servant couldn't believe it and said, "You are talking about me, sir?"
Ying Chengjiao said impatiently: "It's you, come here!"
The servant's eyes were shining. As a child, he didn't know where he got the strength from, but he struggled madly to break free from the hands of two adults.
He rolled and crawled, his arms covered in blood, and he knelt in front of Ying Chengjiao with a plop, his eyes full of hope.
He didn't know what Ying Chengjiao asked him to do, but no matter what he did, it was better than being a prisoner in Mount Li.
"Sir, what do you want me to do?"
"Get down and block this floor tile."
The servant did as he was told and lay on the floor tile. After he was done, he moved carefully. After making sure that there was no trace of the mottled floor tile, he raised his head and said flatteringly, "Sir, is this okay?"
He didn't know who this Jun Ye was, and he knew that after this Jun Ye left, he would be sent to Mount Li as a prisoner.
But so what? At least he could stay here until this Lord left and would not be dragged away.
If you can delay for a moment, you can live a little longer.
Even though he looks like a dead dog lying here, it's better to be alive than dead, isn't it?
Whether a dog is alive or alive, it is both alive.
