"Oh my, Mama You is really something! She keeps lecturing Shen Ger about observing rules, yet she herself has completely forgotten what rules are," Suyue was the first to speak.
"Exactly! Anyone who didn't know would think Mama You was the master and Shen Ger was just a servant in the house," Suyun said, covering her mouth with a light chuckle.
"We heard Mama You was Madam Hou's personal attendant and thought she would be the most polite and rule-abiding. Turns out, she's a servant bullying her master. Who knows if Madam Xue personally taught her these rules?"
Suyun and Suyue, in perfect sync, made Mama You's face flush crimson with just a few sentences.
Although she had been appointed the household manager, these two attendants from the Ye family completely ignored her.
They even acted aloof when she asked them to hand over the household purchasing ledgers, which already infuriated her.
Now, hearing them retort so directly, without giving her any face, Mama You was seething with anger.
She immediately retorted, "Shen Ger is new to the capital. Me, teaching him some rules is for his own good. Moreover, I represent Madam Hou! What right do you two nobodies have to criticize?"
"You represent Madam Hou, and we represent Madam Ye!" Suyue immediately stepped forward and declared, "Our Ye family doesn't have a rule about servants lecturing masters. Before we came, Madam Ye specifically instructed us to look after Shen Ger well. How can we let a wicked servant like you bully him?"
"That's right, you old hag! You keep going on about teaching Shen Ger rules. You're just a servant; what do you know about a master's rules?" Suyun said. "Are the Marquis's ger and young ladies taught rules by you? I'll have Madam Ye ask around and see if Madam Hou actually ordered you to do this, or if you just took it upon yourself."
"Fine! You two sluts! You're deliberately trying to pick a fight with me today, aren't you? According to our Marquis's mansion rules, you disrespecting me, the managing mama, also warrants confinement and a cut in their monthly allowances!"
Mama You, facing two against one and having no one to back her up, trembled with rage. Looking around and seeing no one to help her, she turned to Shen Xuan and asked,
"Shen Ger, you tell me, who was out of line today? Was it me, or were they two going too far?"
"This..." Shen Xuan feigned hesitation before saying, "The Xue family and the Ye family each have their own rules. How can I judge? Do you really think you're actually going to be punished?"
"No! You must make a decision today and act accordingly, so that a precedent can be set for the servants!"
Mama You pressed him harder, insisting that Shen Xuan establish the rules on the spot. She was confident Shen Xuan not daring to offend Madam Bai, wanting to give Suyun and Suyue a harsh lesson.
Shen Xuan heard this and sighed, "Since Mama You has put it that way, then it seems I must make a decision."
"How about this? Both the Marquis's family and the Ye family are prominent clans, and their respective rules each have their own merits. I find them both quite good, so we shall abide by both."
Shen Xuan paused, then looked at Mama You, Suyun, and Suyue, saying, "According to the rules of both families, Suyun and Suyue for contradicting a managing mama, and Mama You for insubordination, are both in the wrong. All of you should be confined and have your monthly allowances cut off."
"However, your current monthly allowances are issued by the Marquis's family and the Ye family, respectively, which has nothing to do with me. So, I naturally won't interfere with your allowances. Instead, each of you will be confined for three days, as a form of punishment."
After speaking, Shen Xuan specifically asked Mama You, "Mama You, what do you think of this arrangement? Both the Ye family and the Marquis's family are prominent clans. I can't very well respect one and not the other. It's just a bit of an inconvenience for you, Mama."
Mama You never expected Shen Xuan to bring up the Ye family to confine her along with Suyun and Suyue. She felt as disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly.
However, since the demand for setting rules came from her, if she were to go back on her word now, she'd become a clown, and her words would be meaningless.
Also, if Suyun and Suyue didn't receive any punishment, wouldn't they become even more arrogant in the future?
She gritted her teeth, thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Alright, since Shen Ger is still mindful of the Ye family's honor, we'll leave it at that for now. But it's agreed that disrespecting a managing mama will be handled this way from now on. Suyun and Suyue, you have nothing more to say, do you?"
Suyun and Suyue hadn't expected Shen Xuan to actually heed Mama You's words and confine them. They were somewhat displeased.
But Shen Xuan had spoken, and Mama You herself was also to be confined, so they were put in a position where they couldn't object.
They simply agreed to the arrangement and then returned to their respective rooms with Mama You.
Once they had all quieted down, Shen Xuan called for Jingui and told him to fetch two silver ornaments that Madam Bai had given him previously and deliver them to Suyun and Suyue.
Jingui took one silver hairpin and one silver bracelet, both weighing about one taels, and quietly went to Suyun and Suyue's room.
As soon as he entered, he indeed heard them complaining, grumbling, "Didn't Shen Ger ask us to back him up? How come when we went to argue with that old hag, he still sided with her?"
Jingui quickly appeased them, "Mama You is, after all, Madam Hou's trusted servant. Given Shen Ger's current situation, how could he truly fall out with her? Don't be angry, you two."
After speaking, he pulled out the bracelet and hairpin from his sleeve, placed them on the table, and said,
"Shen Ger knows you two feel wronged, so he specifically sent me to give you these. Each of you can pick one."
Suyun and Suyue looked at the two ornaments. Although the craftsmanship was ordinary, they were made of pure silver.
Weighing them in their hands, each was about one taels or more, not light at all.
Though they were second-rank attendants in the Ye mansion, excluding their master's rewards, their monthly allowance was only two hundred wen.
They hadn't expected Shen Xuan, a ger from the countryside, to give them such substantial rewards. This showed great sincerity.
Thinking of this, Suyun and Suyue felt that while Shen Xuan's actions might have seemed a bit timid, they were understandable.
Plus, with the amount of money he gave them, a mere three days of confinement was quite a bargain.
So, they said to Jingui, "We accept Shen Ger's kindness. In the future, if he ever needs our help, we will certainly do our best."
After all, compared to Shen Xuan, the Ye family and Madam Xue were more at odds. Even if they privately accepted favors from Shen Xuan, they were acting against Madam Xue's subordinates, and Madam Ye would only approve.
After appeasing Suyun and Suyue, Jingui returned to report to Shen Xuan. Shen Xuan, now satisfied, got into his carriage and headed for the labor market.
***
The people being sold at the labor market were either officials' former slaves whose families had been confiscated, household slaves who had committed offenses in wealthy families, or people from impoverished families desperately in need of money, or those who had suffered from disasters.
The labor market in the Great Jin Dynasty opened at dawn every day. By the time Shen Xuan arrived, it was already late.
Normally, the first batch of maids and stewards who bought people would have already left, and the most popular strong young men and young maids would have mostly been picked.
But when Shen Xuan entered, he found that there were still many people available for purchase, which struck him as a bit odd. He casually found a broker selling people by the roadside and inquired.
"I heard that the western regions suffered a locust plague, and many villages had all their food eaten by locusts, leaving nothing," the broker explained.
"In recent days, many people have come to sell their children, or even themselves to become servant. The price of people is also half of what it usually is. Young master, would you like to take this opportunity to buy a few more to serve you?"
Jinzhi and Jingui, overhearing this, thought Shen Xuan was truly lucky. Just when he needed to buy people, he caught a good time when prices were low.
Shen Xuan, however, frowned and then asked, "Locust plague? How far is the affected area from the capital?"
"It's not close, over two hundred li (about 100 km) away," the broker replied.
Two hundred li? That's only a little over a hundred kilometers, Shen Xuan calculated to himself, silently making some plans.
***
After asking, the broker inquired if he wanted to buy people. Shen Xuan then stated that he wanted to buy two ger and two men, all over sixteen years old. They also needed to be healthy and capable of physical labor.
"The ger need to have some cooking skills and be able to work in the kitchen. The men should be articulate and presentable," Shen Xuan specified.
After all, they were being bought to run a shop and would be responsible for hawking goods, so their appearance and speaking skills couldn't be too poor. If they were dull and timid like blocks of wood, they wouldn't be effective.
The broker had many people for sale, and although Shen Xuan's requirements weren't low, he could still find suitable individuals.
Soon, he brought over two ger and two men, all around sixteen or seventeen years old. The two ger were disaster victims, relatively clear-featured, and had helped with cooking at home.
With their families suffering from the disaster and having no food, they were sold to earn money.
At their age, they were considered too old to be bought as servants by wealthy families. The original intention was to sell them to Zhinjin Street for that kind of business, but recently, disaster victims had arrived in waves, and the brothels were full and no longer accepting new people.
That's why the broker brought them before Shen Xuan. Shen Xuan asked them a few questions, and hearing their clear answers and knowledge of simple kitchen tasks, he decided to keep them.
When he asked the two men, he learned they were brothers, house-born slaves whose parents had committed offenses in a wealthy family.
These house-born brothers were quite presentable and looked clever, having served a young master before.
Due to their family's involvement, their entire family had been sold off. Now, their parents and younger siblings had long been sold to other families, leaving only them, at an awkward age where wealthy families didn't want them, and ordinary families found them too expensive.
That's why they were still available. Shen Xuan also tested them with a few questions, and seeing their good answers, he decided to keep them.
He acquired a total of four servants. Normally, each person would cost at least ten taels of silver.
However, so many people were being sold now that prices were half the usual. Shen Xuan paid twenty taels of silver in total to acquire their indentured servant contracts.
After buying the people, Shen Xuan didn't want to take them home immediately. He discussed it with the broker, agreeing to leave the people with him for a few days.
Once the shop was ready, he would come to pick them up. This way, he could bypass Mama You's watchful eyes and prevent Madam Bai from knowing he had bought people.
Shen Xuan didn't want Madam Bai to know anything about his shop venture, to avoid irritating her and causing her to interfere, creating unnecessary complications.
Now, Jinzhi and Jingui were completely devoted to him and naturally wouldn't reveal anything, even helping him to keep it a secret.
So, until the shop renovation was complete and Shen Xuan picked up the people to move them into the shop, Mama You, Suyun, and Suyue remained completely unaware of the matter.
They simply thought Shen Xuan's daily outings were genuinely just for sightseeing.
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