Little Qin Linyang ran over and asked, "Mom?"
The Wei brothers also looked over here: "Aunt?"
Yang Haiyan said: "Xiao Lei, Xiao Yun, you guys play, I will talk to little brother."
Wei Zhanlei said crisply: "Okay."
When Yang Haiyan bought someone, she liked to use the official's teeth, which was safer and the child's origin was clearer. Even if there was a problem with the child's origin in the future, there was an official's teeth to back it up. In the end, it was the court's business and had nothing to do with her.
The matchmaker brought in ten young boys. Although their clothes were full of patches, they were clean. The matchmakers in the capital were naturally more particular than those in the county, because the servants had to buy the mansions of the nobles and dignitaries, so they had to make them clean. Otherwise, the nobles and dignitaries would not look down on them. How could the matchmakers make money? All the money of the matchmakers had to be given to the court.
The matchmaker bowed to Yang Haiyan with a smile on her face and said, "Meet your madam, meet your young master." She naturally also noticed the little boy beside Yang Haiyan.
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Don't be so polite, matchmaker. Tell me the origins of these young men."
The matchmaker said: "Yes. There are ten boys here. Boy number one is twelve years old this year. His last owner was an official. He committed a crime and was exiled. The servants who were not involved in the crime, those who could afford to redeem their indentures have been redeemed, and those who could not have been redeemed will be sold by the official matchmaker."
In fact, this law of Qi State is quite humane. Of course, there is another law above this one. If the master commits a crime, the male servants who have reached the age of military service will be sent to the army. In this way, after serving the full military service, they don’t even need to pay for redemption and can become good citizens. However, military service is also hard and risking one’s life. Among the maids, those who have reached the age of fifteen like the original body will be assigned to the soldiers of the army by the court. However, those who have not reached the age of fifteen will not be able to redeem themselves and will be sold again.
To put it bluntly, the court was selling out a good deal, the reputation belonged to the court, and the money earned also belonged to the court. But for the common people, wasn't this a way out
Therefore, the first emperor of Qi was kind and wise, otherwise how could there be such laws? Perhaps the emperor who came out of the war is different.
The matchmaker continued, "This kid was a family child in the previous master's family. He followed the young master of the official family, so he also learned a few words."
Boy No. 1 saluted to Yang Haiyan and said, "Hello, madam. Meet your madam and your young master." He was not an ordinary servant from an official family. Just now, he heard the matchmaker calling Yang Haiyan "madam" when she saluted her. He knew that this madam was of noble status, because in Qi State, only officials of the second rank and above were called madam.
Yang Haiyan nodded. Actually, when she saw these boys, she knew they were family-born. Otherwise, how could a normal family be willing to sell their children? And they were dead-indentured boys? She asked the matchmaker to find boys with dead-indentures. "Besides recognizing words, what else can you do?"
Boy No. 1 thought for a moment and said, "My foot speed is relatively fast. Is this... an advantage?"
Yang Haiyan was a little curious: "Fast foot speed? This is the first time I've heard of this. Is running faster?"
Boy No. 1 said, "Yes, I was born to be a fast runner, so I was chosen to be with that young master and run errands for him."
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Okay, matchmaker, please continue to introduce other guys."
Boy No. 1 was a little nervous when he heard this, and his expression showed it. He didn't know what this guy meant, and whether he was chosen. He stood, holding his clothes with the clothes on both sides. However, his standing posture was better than other boys. After all, he was from an official family and learned the rules. In fact, Yang Haiyan liked people who learned the rules, because they knew more than ordinary people.
The matchmaker continued, "Madam, this is the second boy, he is also ten years old this year, and he can also read. In fact, all the 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 select a boy who can read. However, the boys who can read usually have some background. "The previous owner of this second boy was a merchant, and this boy worked in the shop. The owner suffered losses and lost a lot of money, so in order to pay back the money, not only did he sell his property, but also some servants, and this boy was one of them."
The second boy also saluted Yang Haiyan: "Hello, Madam, hello, young master." His smile was somewhat flattering, and when he bent down, he was a little humble and shrewd. Because he came from a shop, this kind of flattery was habitual to flatter customers. However, this kind of flattery was not annoying, and it could also be interpreted as the waiter's extra enthusiasm for customers.
Yang Haiyan asked: "What about you? What are your strengths?"
The second boy smiled and said, "I can do accounting." He learned accounting and literacy from the shopkeeper, secretly, because it was the shopkeeper's livelihood, and he didn't want to show it to 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 show it to others, he did not avoid him. He also knew that he was learning secretly, but he didn't care. After all, the waiter in the shop was ambitious, which was good.
Yang Haiyan nodded: "Okay, you wait aside, matchmaker, continue the introduction."
The matchmaker continued to introduce him: "This boy is twelve years old this year. He is the son of an official family. Something went wrong in his family, and those who caused trouble were exiled. All the sons and daughters like him were sold off."
The boy No. 1 said, "Meet your wife, meet your young master."
He was very polite and standard in his manner of greeting. There was no expression on his face, but his eyes showed a stubbornness, but there was no resentment or hatred. Although he was born as a young master of an official family, the women in his family could not be called madam, and their imperial titles were not as high as the madam in front of him, so he should bow to her. His family used to be a small official family, but at least they were also officials, so some rules of respect and inferiority 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 master to servant, do you feel resentment in your heart?"
The boy was stunned. He didn't expect the lady to ask this question. He said frankly: "I don't have any resentment."
Yang Haiyan was now curious: "Why don't you feel resentful? When you were a young master, you enjoyed wealth and luxury, but now you have become a servant. Don't you feel inferior? When you compare yourself to others, don't you feel angry and unfair?"
The boy didn't know why the lady asked this, but he had his own thoughts: "I don't feel it's unfair. If I say it's unfair, there are many people who have suffered more than me. Moreover, he has enjoyed the wealthy life brought by his father for the past ten years. Now that he has done something wrong, it is only right for him to bear the punishment he brought." Therefore, he did not blame 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 one wouldn't necessarily think so quickly. But what the child said was very reasonable. 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, sir."
The matchmaker continued, "This boy number four is ten years old this year. He is also from the family of a criminal. The criminal committed a crime and was demoted to a commoner. His property was confiscated, so most of the servants in his family were sold. A ten-year-old boy like this who can't do manual labor would naturally not be kept."
There is one advantage of being a government official: the origins of the servants are clearly recorded. Of course, Yang Haiyan doesn't know whether these origins are 100% correct, but at least there are no problems on the surface. If there are any problems, it is none of his business.
"And boy number five, boy number six, and boy number seven, like boy number four, are from the same family of criminals. They are all about the same age, and they all served the young master of that family before."
Yang Haiyan heard this and said, "These four people are from the same household. But the household is from the capital? Has 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, which is next door. The criminal is the county magistrate there, and he is guilty of corruption." Although it was a crime of corruption, because it was just corruption and no one else was harmed, their property was confiscated and the official's life was not taken.
These things on the surface can be found out by asking. 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 if they were sold in one city.
However, all laws recognized this transaction. Even if the servant of a criminal was bought, no one would say anything. However, some people just didn't want to buy it in their hearts.
Yang Haiyan asked: "Besides being able to read and write, do you four have any other strengths? Or any ability to do something will do."
The four people shook their heads, they thought that he was just the young master's personal assistant, there to play with him, so how could he have other skills
Seeing this, the matchmaker said, "Next is boy number eight. He is nine years old. There was a famine in his hometown, so his parents went there. He and his brother and sister-in-law were sold while fleeing."
Yang Haiyan asked, "Isn't it forbidden by national law to pawn and sell relatives?"
Boy No. 8 took the initiative to say, "Madam, I volunteered. My parents passed away, and I am still young. My brother and sister-in-law can't even support my child. I have to support him anyway, so I sold myself voluntarily. Because the death contract is worth a lot of money, I bought it."
Yang Haiyan was surprised. He could even sell himself? It was a bit similar to Uncle Hong's experience. This kid also had some courage and determination. "You sold yourself into a death indenture, and turned a good citizen into a slave. You may be a slave for the rest of your life. Are you willing?"