Chapter 32 Purchasing People [4], Part 1
*We find out what she wants the slaves for…]
She came to the slave market today to buy forty to fifty eight- to twelve-year-old girls. She would then teach them martial arts and medicine and give them to grandfather and uncle to be their assistants.
Zi You couldn’t believe that she couldn’t do the things her mother could. It was a matter of effort. As long as she had determination, she could achieve her wish.
When grandfather learned of her ambition, he once asked, “What girl would want to study medicine? Even if she is willing to learn, who is willing to expose herself in public and mix together with men on the battlefield? She would ruin her reputation and can’t get married in her lifetime. Your mother was not like the average woman. She is a descendant of a goddess. But even so, Great Yan’s noble furens [Mrs., Married madams] looked down on her, much less average girls.”
She was furious thinking of her grandfather’s words. She didn’t know why females couldn’t go on the battlefield and kill enemies and save people. On the battlefield, why must they mix together with men?
If their souls were pure and clean, then why would they perform illicit activities? In the past, Yongnan Marquis and Yu LanXuan weren’t on the battlefield, but weren’t they illicitly together?
It was clear that doing immoral things didn’t depend on the location or environment. You can watch some people closely, but their dirty thoughts and souls would still be revealed.
Musing over her grandfather’s words, Zi You thought he was correct on one point. Finding forty or fifty females to learn medicine and martial arts through normal channels was impossible.
She could only use abnormal ways to find people. Female slaves from the slave market were the most suitable. After two hours, Zi You took out the pocket watch her uncle gave her. The time was close to wei shi [1-3 pm]. Not bad. Her efforts were not in vain. She finally picked out forty-five girls.
Chapter 32 Purchasing People [4], Part 2
Zi You listened to the slave dealer’s introductions. Eight or nine-year-old girls were three silvers, ten or eleven-year-olds were seven silvers, twelve- to fifteen-year-olds were the most expensive at fifteen silvers, and sixteen- to eighteen-year-olds were eight silvers.
The reason was simple. After feeding twelve- to fourteen-year-olds a year or two, they could earn lots of silvers for brothels.
The younger ones needed more silvers to raise them for longer periods of time and could not immediately make silvers or work.
The older ones did not need to be raised anymore and could only be maidservants or get married after a few years.
The girls Zi You chose were mostly nine to eleven years of age, totaling thirty-eight. Only seven were twelve years of age.
They cost Zi You 318 silvers. She began to bargain, “300 silvers.”
The slave dealer counter-offered, “This xiaojie, this is the best slave market, with the best slaves. You go back and teach them a bit and you can use them. How about this? 310 silvers.”
Zi You again said coldly, “300 silvers.”
The slave dealer was anxious, “Xiaojie, even selling them to brothels would not fetch this price…” “Xiaojie, I beg you to do a good deed. Can you also buy this slave’s big brother?” The two were deadlocked, when a nine-year-old girl suddenly kneeled in front of Zi You and cried sorrowfully.
