Little Qin Linyang ran over: "Mom?"
The Wei brothers also looked over here: "Aunt?"
Yang Haiyan said: "Xiao Lei, Xiao Yun, you guys play, auntie and little brother talk."
Wei Zhanlei said crisply: "Okay."
Yang Haiyan likes to use official brokers when buying servants, it's safer, and the child's origin is clearer. Even if the child's origin has problems in the future, there are official brokers to support it. In the end, it's the court's business and has nothing to do with her.
The matchmaker brought in ten young boys. Although the boys' clothes were full of patches, they were washed clean. The officials in the capital were naturally more particular than those in the county, because the servants had to keep the mansions of the nobles clean if they wanted to buy them, otherwise the nobles would not like them. How could the officials make money? The money of the officials had to be given to the court.
The matchmaker smiled and saluted Yang Haiyan: "Hello, Madam, and meet the young master." She naturally saw the little boy beside Yang Haiyan.
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Don't be polite, matchmaker. Tell me the origins of these young men."
Matchmaker: "Yes. There are ten boys here. Boy No. 1 is twelve years old this year. His last master was an official. The master committed a crime and was exiled. The servants who were not involved in the crime and could redeem their indentures have redeemed themselves. Those who could not redeem themselves will be sold by our officials."
Speaking of which, this law of Qiguo is still relatively humane. Of course, there is another one above this law, that is, if the master commits a crime, among the servants, if the male servants reach the age of military service, they will be sent to the army. In this way, after serving in the army, they don't even need to pay for redemption, and they are directly good citizens. However, serving in the army is also hard, and you are fighting for your life. Among the maids, those who have reached the age of 15, like the original body, will be assigned by the court to soldiers. But if they have not reached the age of 15, they will not be redeemed and will be sold again.
To put it bluntly, the court sold them well, the reputation belongs to the court, and the money earned also belongs to the court. But for the common people, isn't it a way out?
Therefore, the first emperor of Qiguo was kind and wise, otherwise how could there be such a law? Maybe the emperor who came out of the war is different.
The matchmaker continued, "This boy was a family-born child in the previous master's family. He learned a few words from the young master of the official family."
The number one boy saluted Yang Haiyan and said, "Hello, Madam. I've met Madam and Young Master." Servants from official families are different. Just now, when he heard the matchmaker calling Yang Haiyan Madam when she saluted, he knew that this Madam was of noble status, because only those above the second rank in Qi State could be called Madam.
Yang Haiyan nodded. In fact, when she saw these boys, she knew that they were family-born children. Otherwise, how could a normal family be willing to sell their sons? And they were dead-end indentures? She asked the matchmaker to find boys with dead-end indentures. "Besides knowing how to read, what else can you do?"
Boy No. 1 thought for a moment and said, "I am fast on my feet. Is this... an advantage?"
Yang Haiyan was a little curious: "Fast on my feet? This is the first time I've heard of running fast?"
Boy No. 1 said, "Yes, I was born to run fast, so I was chosen and came to the young master to run errands for him."
Yang Haiyan nodded, "Okay, matchmaker, please continue to introduce other boys."
Boy No. 1 was a little nervous when he heard this, and his expression showed it. He didn't know what this person meant, and whether he was chosen. He stood with his hands on both sides pulling his clothes. However, his standing posture was better than other boys. After all, he came from an official family and had learned the rules. In fact, Yang Haiyan likes people who have learned the rules, and they know more than ordinary people.
The matchmaker continued: "Madam, this is the second boy, who is also thirteen years old this year and can also read. In fact, all these boys can read." Because when the owner came to buy the boy, he said that he must be able to read. The official matchmaker in the capital is the largest official matchmaker in the country, so it is not difficult to pick out a little boy who can read. However, the literate boys usually have some background. "The former owner of this No. 2 boy was a merchant. This boy worked in the shop. The owner suffered a loss and lost a lot of money. So in order to pay back the money, he not only sold his property, but also some servants. This boy was one of them." The
No. 2 boy also saluted Yang Haiyan: "Hello, Madam, hello, young master." His smile was a bit flattering, and when he bent down, he was a bit humble and shrewd. Because he came from the shop, this kind of flattery was habitual to flatter customers. However, this kind of flattery is not annoying, and it can also be understood as the waiter's special enthusiasm for customers.
Yang Haiyan asked, "What are your strengths?"
The second boy smiled and said, "I can do accounting." He learned accounting and reading from the shopkeeper in the shop. He learned it secretly because it was a skill that the shopkeeper used to make a living and he was unwilling to teach others. But he also wanted to learn more, so he learned it secretly. On weekdays, when the shopkeeper was doing the accounting, he would watch from the side. Although the shopkeeper would not take the initiative to teach others, he did not avoid him and knew that he was learning secretly. He did not care about it. After all, the waiter in the shop was motivated, which was good.
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Okay, you wait aside, matchmaker, continue to introduce."
The matchmaker continued to introduce: "This number three boy is twelve years old this year. He is a young master of an official family. His family committed a crime. Those who were responsible for the crime were exiled, and young masters and young ladies like him were all sold."
The number three boy said: "I have met the madam and the young master."
He was the most formal and standard in his etiquette. There was no expression on his face, and there was a stubbornness in his eyes, but there was no dissatisfaction or hatred. Although he was born as a young master of an official family, the women in his family could not be called madam, which means that his imperial edict was not as high as the madam in front of him, so he should salute her. His family used to be minor officials, but they were still officials, so some rules and regulations of hierarchy were engraved in their bones. They were very discerning and would not put on airs when it came to people of noble status.
Yang Haiyan was a little surprised. She looked at the boy in front of her and asked thoughtfully: "From a master to a servant, do you feel resentment in your heart?"
Boy No. 3 was stunned. He did not expect the lady to ask this question. He said frankly: "No resentment."
Yang Haiyan was curious now: "Why no resentment? When you were a young master, you enjoyed wealth and luxury. Now you become a servant. Don't you feel inferior and sad? Comparing like this, don't you feel angry and unfair?"
Boy No. 3 didn't know why the lady asked this, but he had his own ideas: "I don't feel it is unfair. If it is unfair, there are many people who have suffered more than me. Moreover, I have enjoyed the wealthy life brought by my father in the past ten years. Now that he has done something wrong, it is reasonable for me to bear the punishment he brought." Therefore, he has never blamed his family.
This was the first time Yang Haiyan had seen such a clear-headed person. Not to mention a twelve-year-old child, even an older person wouldn't necessarily think so quickly. But what the child said made a lot of sense. Some things are cause and effect. If you are involved in the cause, you must bear the result. Don't say anything about whether you are willing or not, that's just an excuse.
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "Go on, matchmaker."
The matchmaker continued to introduce: "This boy number four is ten years old this year. He also comes from the family of a criminal. The criminal was demoted to a commoner and his property was confiscated, so most of the servants in the family were sold. A ten-year-old boy like this who can't do manual labor would naturally not be kept."
The official matchmaker has one advantage, the origins of the servants are recorded clearly. Of course, Yang Haiyan doesn't know whether these origins are 100% correct, but at least there is no problem on the surface. If there is a problem, it is none of his business.
"And this boy number five, six, and seven, like boy number four, are from the same criminal family, and are of similar age. They all served the young master of that family before."
Yang Haiyan heard this and said, "Four of them are from the same family. Is that family from the capital? An official from the capital committed such a crime?"
The matchmaker said, "The criminal is not from the capital, but from a county under the jurisdiction of the capital, just next door. The criminal is the county magistrate there, and he committed the crime of corruption." Although it was a crime of corruption, because it was only corruption and no other injuries were caused, the family property was confiscated and the official's life was not taken.
These things on the surface can be found out as soon as you inquire. In fact, many servants from the families of criminals were taken to other places to be sold, because some families were unwilling to buy them in the same city.
However, the filtering law recognized the sale, so even if the servants of the criminals were bought, no one would say anything. Some people just didn't want to buy them.
Yang Haiyan asked: "Besides knowing how to read, do you four have any other advantages? Or any special skills?"
The four shook their heads. They thought they were just the young master's personal servants, who played with him, so where did they get other skills?
Seeing this, the matchmaker said, "Next is boy number eight. He is nine years old this year. There was a famine in his hometown, and his parents died. He was sold on the way with his brother and sister-in-law."
Yang Haiyan said, "Isn't this kind of pawning and selling of relatives prohibited by national laws?"
Boy number eight took the initiative to say, "Madam, I volunteered. My parents passed away, and I was still young. My brother and sister-in-law couldn't even raise their own children, let alone me, so I agreed to sell myself. Because the death contract was more money, I bought it."
Yang Haiyan was shocked. He could even sell himself? It was somewhat similar to Uncle Hong's experience, but this kid also had some courage and determination. "If you sell yourself out of the death indenture, you will be transformed from a slave to a slave, and you will be a slave for the rest of your life. Are you willing?"
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