Chapter 340: Buying People
The Jin Kingdom Crown Princess knew that Xingqing and Xingnong had no experience in buying servants, so she taught them how to choose. She whispered, “The most important thing for servants is loyalty, and the second is ability. Generally, the people in the tooth shop are either sold by their masters because they made mistakes, or demoted to government slaves because they committed crimes, and there are also those who sell themselves because their families are too poor. Government slaves have the advantage of knowing the rules and not needing to be trained. As long as you buy the whole family of government slaves and sign a death contract, you won’t be afraid of their disloyalty. It’s best to choose orphans for personal maids, so that they can only rely on you. It’s not easy for them to betray their masters because their families are threatened. Then pick out those with special talents.”
The Jin Kingdom Crown Princess looked at the roster while analyzing it with Xingnong and Xingqing. She wrote down the suitable ones and would look at them later.
The Jin Kingdom Crown Prince added, “You can buy more children from clean family backgrounds. In the future, you will have more people to work for after they are trained. Some children are sold because their families are too poor. After verifying that their families are honest, kind, and law-abiding, you can arrange for them to work on the estate. This way, you can help his family and gain his loyalty.”
The Third Prince said, “Don’t buy cooks. Be very careful about what you eat. I’ll pick two from the restaurant. One is responsible for meals and the other is responsible for snacks.”
After about a quarter of an hour, nearly fifty people were selected.
“Let’s see if you like these people. Sometimes eye contact is also very important.”
Then Xingnong asked Songbai to bring in the selected people one by one for an “interview.”
Xingnong didn’t want the two who came in with improper eyes and who couldn’t help but secretly look at the furnishings in the room.
She didn’t want the one who spoke exaggeratedly, nor the woman who had a bad complexion. When asked why, she lied and was vague, so Xingnong didn’t want her either.
There was a woman who was particularly beautiful. Xingnong originally thought of keeping her because it was pleasing to the eye to look at her, but when she saw her flirting with the princes, she didn’t keep her. After all, Xinghui was at the age of vigor, so as to avoid any trouble.
Finally, Xingnong and Xingqing chose thirty people together, including a family who used to work for a wealthy family but were demoted to government slaves after their master committed a crime.
Xingqing was assigned two second-class maids and two rough maids. Xinghui was assigned two young servants, two second-class maids, and a steward. Xinghui will be the head of the Gu family in the future, and it is more convenient to have a steward by his side. This steward used to be a steward on the estate of a wealthy family. He is shrewd, capable, literate, and good at arithmetic. He is also well-informed. With him by Xinghui’s side, he can also give some guidance. Madam Gu was assigned two first-class maids, two second-class maids, a senior maid, two rough maids. They also bought a gatekeeper, who guards the gate, and a few servants who are responsible for the garden, kitchen, and maintenance and cleaning of each courtyard.
They bought a bit too many people, but Xingnong listened to the Jin Kingdom Crown Princess and chose a few more. Not everyone might be suitable. If they are not suitable, they can be sold. Then they wouldn’t have enough people to work for.
And there will definitely be banquets in the future. If there are too few servants in the mansion, it will be very troublesome to hold banquets.
Just after these servants were bought, a family of six, the steward under Shen Hanyu, also came over.
Shen Hanyu said to the family, “From now on, you will serve in the Shen residence. You have met Miss Xingnong. This is Miss Xingqing. Have you met your new master?”
The family of six hurriedly bowed and said, “We/This servant greets the two young ladies.”
This steward was originally the second steward of Hanyuan, Xie Tiedong. Xie Tiedong had a son, Xie Yan. Xie Yan had a son, Xie Ming, and a daughter, Xie Yu. Shen Hanyu once saved Xie Yan’s life. Xie Yan’s wife, Madam He, was somewhat good-looking and was taken by the son of a county magistrate. He molested her on the street. Xie Yan beat the county magistrate’s son up, and almost got beaten to death by the county magistrate’s son’s guards. It was Shen Hanyu who saved him. The family couldn’t live in that county anymore, so they turned to Shen Hanyu and came to the capital. They had been very capable and loyal over the years.
Xingnong had already made up her mind. Xie Tiedong would be the chief steward, managing all the servants in the mansion. His wife, Madam He, would be the senior maid in charge of the inner courtyard. Xie Yan was originally the shopkeeper of Welcome Inn, and he could help manage the snack workshop in the future. His wife, Madam He, was a cook at Welcome Inn, and had learned cooking skills from Xingnong.
The granddaughter is good at both snacks and needlework, and she will be Xingqing’s chief maid. The grandson will be Xinghui’s study companion.
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After all the servants in the mansion had arrived, the Jin Kingdom Crown Princess asked Xingnong to set rules for the servants.
Xingnong called everyone over and said, “I don’t have many requirements for everyone. First, be loyal and don’t betray your master. If anyone is found to have betrayed their master, they will be directly sent to the quarry to mine stones for the rest of their lives! In addition to not betraying their master, no matter how big or small anything in the mansion is, without the master’s permission, nothing can be spread out, whether intentional or unintentional. If anyone spreads the people and things in the mansion, they will be directly punished with a beating and then sold! No begging for mercy. Second, be serious about your work. Don’t pretend to understand, don’t be ambitious. Just do your own work, and work together to do what you should do together. Tomorrow, I will let the chief steward assign the things that you are responsible for. Those who do well will be rewarded, and those who do poorly will be punished.”
Then Xingnong told them the wages of servants of different levels. The chief steward gets ten taels of silver a month, the steward five taels, the chief maid and study companion three taels, the second-class maid and ordinary servant one tael, and the others are seven hundred copper coins. In addition, there are seasonal gifts and rewards.
Many people were very happy after hearing this, because there were not many masters in the mansion, and they didn’t have much to do, but the wages were higher than before or outside, so how could they not be happy.
After arranging the servants, it was already evening. When Chu Tiankuo returned to Star Garden and learned that Xingnong was here, he came over.
Xingnong asked, “Have you found anything from the interrogation?”
Chu Tiankuo shook his head. “There hasn’t been any progress yet.” The missing women haven’t been found yet. Under torture, the people from the pleasure boat still kept their mouths shut.
“Where is the Yong’an Heir Apparent now? The Empress Dowager won’t let the Admiral’s Military Headquarters keep him locked up, will she?”
“Now the Grand Commander is defying the Empress Dowager and keeping him locked up, but if no evidence is found tomorrow, he will have to be released.”
Xingnong frowned upon hearing this. “Maybe there is some evidence in the Princess’s Residence.”
“That’s what I think too. I’ll go investigate tonight.”
“Then hurry up and eat. Rest after dinner.” He was tired after traveling for so long.
“Okay.”
Madam He prepared a table of sumptuous dishes. The maids, under the guidance of Madam He, carried trays and filed in in an orderly manner, quite like the rules and style of a wealthy family.
Xingnong felt relieved. Their family has a shallow foundation. Xingqing and Xinghui will settle down in the capital in the future and are likely to be looked down upon. She lives in the Eastern Palace and cannot leave the palace often. The rules for servants are especially important.
