Chapter 94: Buying People
After arriving at the Fortress City, Yang Zhengshan asked Luo Jin to introduce him to a middleman.
The middleman, around forty years old, showed great respect upon learning Yang Zhengshan’s identity and immediately bowed down, saying, “Greetings, Lord Yang!”
People like this middleman, who work behind the scenes, are connected to various dark and sinister forces.
However, they are most reluctant to offend officials, especially powerful military officers.
Someone like Yang Zhengshan, a thousand-man commander, may not be a big shot in the Fortress City, but outside, he could be someone who holds their lives in his hands.
After all, Yang Zhengshan has people and power, and if he were to be offended, who knows what would happen?
Yang Zhengshan didn’t waste words and directly asked, “I want to buy some servants. Do you have any good ones?”
“What kind of servants is the Lord looking for?” the middleman asked with a smile.
Good servants also come in different types.
There are capable servants and those with good appearances.
He didn’t know what kind of servants Yang Zhengshan wanted.
Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and said, “It would be best if they’re a family unit.”
For servants, he had two requirements: ability and loyalty.
Ability couldn’t be forced, as long as they weren’t fond of deceit and trickery.
Loyalty, however, was essential.
Human hearts are difficult to fathom. Even if he held the servant’s contract, he couldn’t guarantee their loyalty.
But if they had family ties, he could ensure their loyalty to a certain extent.
“A family unit! I have several options here!” the middleman replied.
“Take me to see them!”
The middleman then led Yang Zhengshan and Yang Mingcheng to a dilapidated courtyard in the west of the city.
“Everyone, come out!”
The middleman shouted as soon as they entered the courtyard.
Before long, over twenty people emerged from the courtyard.
Based on their positions, it was clear that these servants were all from different family units.
“There are four families in total. This one, the Liu family, has eight members. They used to be servants of the Zhang family, but after the Zhang family moved out of the Fortress City, they were sold to us!”
“This one, the Yang family, has six members. They used to be servants of the Metropolitan Prefecture Office’s Ji family, but after Ji was imprisoned, they were also sold!”
“This one, the Wu family, has four members. They used to be servants of a merchant family, but after the merchant family went bankrupt, they sold them to us. The old man, Wu, used to be a steward and has some abilities!”
“This one, the Ding family, also used to be servants of the Zhang family, and they even have some martial arts skills!”
As the middleman introduced them, Yang Zhengshan’s gaze swept across their faces.
The servants’ clothing and complexions looked decent, indicating they hadn’t been mistreated too much.
This was normal, as they were bought with a lot of silver, and the middleman was counting on them to make a profit.
However, their mental states were not good, with some showing fear, anxiety, or confusion.
Yang Zhengshan scanned them and finally settled on the Ding family.
“You’re Ding!” he said, taking a step forward.
“Yes, Lord!” the man replied, his eyes cast down.
“Did you serve as an attendant to Zhang’s fourth young master?” Yang Zhengshan asked again.
He recognized this person, who had been by Zhang’s side when Zhang bullied people and got whipped by Zhou Lan. This Ding man had even reached out to catch Zhou Lan’s whip.
“Yes!” the man nodded.
“You should have some martial arts skills. Why did you become a servant?” Yang Zhengshan curiously asked.
A martial artist wouldn’t be sold into servitude, would they?
“I’m a houseborn slave of the Zhang family!” the man replied.
Houseborn slaves are children of slaves, and they remain slaves unless the master is willing to free them.
He was a houseborn slave of the Zhang family, which meant he was a martial artist trained by the Zhang family.
It’s extremely difficult for a servant, no matter how talented, to become a martial artist.
This showed that the man’s martial arts talent was exceptional, and it was unlikely that the Zhang family would have invested so much in a servant.
“How do you view the Zhang family?” Yang Zhengshan asked.
The man looked up, his eyes locking onto Yang Zhengshan’s. “The Zhang family got what they deserved! But I’m grateful for the Zhang family’s upbringing!”
After Zhang Yuede was brought back to the capital, the Zhang family was soon brought to justice, and many of its members were punished or exiled.
As for Zhang Chen, he seemed to have been beheaded.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t know the specifics, as he wasn’t close to the Zhang family and didn’t care about their lives or deaths.
Regarding the man’s answer, Yang Zhengshan only nodded slightly.
In reality, the answer wasn’t important.
The Zhang family had already fallen, and even if this man remained loyal to the Zhang family, it was impossible for him to return to the Zhang family, and the Zhang family had no chance of rising again.
The former Zhang family was powerful, but now it’s quite miserable.
“Only your children!” Yang Zhengshan looked at the three children behind the man.
There were two boys and one girl, the oldest being around twelve or thirteen, and the youngest being around four or five years old.
Apart from the children, there was also a thirty-year-old woman.
“Yes!” the man replied.
Yang Zhengshan turned to the middleman. “How much for this family?”
The middleman smiled upon hearing this. “This person is a martial artist, so the price will be higher than the others!”
“Five hundred silver taels!”
Yang Zhengshan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed.
This was indeed an exaggerated price.
It’s not that martial artists aren’t valuable, but buying a martial artist as a servant is a bit dubious.
The reason is simple: it’s hard to determine their loyalty.
Ordinary servants, even if they’re disloyal, won’t cause too much harm.
But if a martial artist harbors resentment, it could lead to family destruction.
“Two hundred silver taels, and I won’t haggle!” Yang Zhengshan said directly.
The middleman looked hesitant. “Lord, this is too low!”
“I said one hundred silver taels for this entire family, not just him!” Yang Zhengshan pointed at the Ding family of five.
He saw the middleman still hesitating and added, “You’re thinking of keeping them for another year!”
Although it was his first time buying people, he wasn’t ignorant.
When was the Zhang family brought to justice?
It was last September, and it’s already been four months!
Four months had passed, and they still couldn’t sell this family. The middleman must be anxious.
Keeping so many people is costly, and the longer it takes, the more expenses they incur.
As for why the Ding family was so hard to sell, it’s not hard to understand.
Firstly, the man is a martial artist, which is hard for ordinary people to handle.
Secondly, they came from the Zhang family, and although the Zhang family has fallen, many people still view them with suspicion.
“Lord, Lord, let’s add fifty silver taels, making it two hundred fifty silver taels, and I’ll consider it a favor!” the middleman said with a flattering smile.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t respond, instead looking at the Wu family.
“I’ll take them as well. Give me a reasonable price!”
The Wu family had a pair of forty-year-old husband and wife, the man having been a steward and should have some abilities.
Additionally, there were two half-grown children who could be assigned tasks, unlike the Ding family’s three children, who were too young and needed to be raised for several years before they could be used.
The middleman thought for a moment and said, “Lord, how about three hundred silver taels?”
Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
A family of four for just fifty silver taels?
That’s right; the current servant market in the Fortress City is indeed very cheap.
A young maid with some beauty is worth only around twenty silver taels, while some older servants are worth only a few silver taels.
“Find me four more young and obedient servant girls, and don’t bring me any troublesome ones!” Yang Zhengshan said.
“Yes, yes, Lord, wait a moment!”
After about an hour, Yang Zhengshan left the Fortress City, holding the servant contracts and accompanied by a group of servants.
On the way, they also stopped by the Lin Guan Fortress to buy some servant clothes.
Yang Zhengshan wanted to purchase a batch of coarse cloth clothing from the Lin Guan Fortress’s needlework workshop.
The workshop had gained a good reputation in the Fortress City for selling cheap cloth clothing, and many wealthy families knew they could buy cheap cloth clothing from the Luo family’s cloth shop.
These cloth clothes were naturally not for the masters but for the servants.
With the New Year approaching, the servants needed new clothes, and it would be seen as a kindness from the masters.
So, during this time, the needlework workshop was busiest.
In the past, the workshop only accepted orders, but now they also sewed and sold coarse cloth clothing.
However, Yang Zhengshan still ordered a batch of coarse cloth clothing from the workshop because they didn’t have any for children.
When they returned to the Yang family’s fortified manor, it was already evening.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t arrange for the servants to start work immediately, only letting them rest in the backyard rooms.
The next morning, he gathered everyone together.
The Yang family members looked at the group of servants with different expressions.
Yang Mingcheng didn’t need to be mentioned, as he had already accepted this reality.
Wang Po’s face was a bit strange, especially when looking at the few teenage servant girls.
What’s the meaning of this, Father?
Why did you buy so many young servant girls?
Yang Ming Hao was also looking at Yang Zhengshan with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.
He wasn’t thinking about the servant girls but was wondering if his father would arrange a servant boy for him.
Thinking about having his own servant boy, Yang Ming Hao’s chest puffed out.
“What’s your name?” Yang Zhengshan asked the Ding man.
“I’m Ding Qiu, Lord!” Ding Qiu replied respectfully.
“You used to be called Ding Qiu, and you’ll still be called Ding Qiu in the future!”
Yang Zhengshan then looked at the Wu man. “What about you?”
“I’m Wu Hai, Lord!” Wu Hai replied.
“Introduce yourselves!” Yang Zhengshan said directly, not bothering to ask one by one.
Wu Hai and Ding Qiu exchanged glances, and Wu Hai started by introducing his wife.
“My wife is Li, and she used to be a cook in her previous household!”
“I’m Wu Da, sixteen years old, and I used to serve as a page in my previous household!”
“I’m Wu Er, fifteen years old, and I used to be a porter in my previous household!”
The Ding family took their turn.
“I’m Song, and I used to be a maid in the Zhang family!”
“I’m Ding Cheng, twelve years old!”
“I’m Ding Lu, nine years old!”
There was still one more servant girl, who looked around confusedly at Ding Qiu and Song.
(End of chapter)
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