When Ouyang Nu signed the deed of sale with trembling delicate hands, Zhu Hao asked shopkeeper Ma to bring him fifteen taels of silver.
Selling one's body is a big deal, and it needs someone to bear witness. The fifteen-year life contract is the standard term for selling one's body in these days. It is different from the relinquishment certificate of selling one's son or daughter. This requires the victim's signature and having someone to bear witness.
Keep photos.
The matter was urgent and there was no time to find any witnesses. Shopkeeper Ma could just be a bystander and then take the people to the government to register.
Ouyang Nu had settled the people around her yesterday. Now that the contract was signed, the mother-in-law wanted to hug her daughter and cry, but when she saw Shopkeeper Ma and Zhu Hao nearby, the mother-in-law just wiped her tears and said
Some words to stay with you.
"It's so rare to get out of the sea of misery, why stay? It's useless for me. The property my father left behind only lasted a year or two, but it was completely destroyed. My father failed to leave any heirs. I will work hard to continue the Ouyang family's fragrance...
…”
Shopkeeper Ma looked on and smiled secretly.
You are just a female prostitute. After the death of your family, you sold yourself into slavery. How can you talk about continuing the family legacy? Who gave you the courage?
In fact, Ouyang Nu wants to remind people around her in this way that now that you are free, you can go as far as you can. If creditors come to you if you stay, you will become part of our Ouyang family's assets. Then
I can't run even if I want to, and I will suffer a lot.
The groom on the side said: "Miss, you feel sorry for us. After returning home, I will buy some property and survive. If Miss makes a comeback in the future and needs us, we will come back to serve her at any time."
That's nice to say, but now that you've gained freedom, why should you be a slave?
A group of people were crying and crying...
…
…
Zhu Hao returned to the room and waited.
After a while, the few personal servants around Ouyang Nu completed their accounts and hurriedly set out on the road with the severance money. However, the shopkeepers and clerks who controlled the Ouyang family's purchase and sales channels all stayed behind and went to Zhu Hao to make arrangements in advance for the time being.
I have settled in the People's Court and am waiting for the next step.
This was also agreed upon before. What Zhu Hao wants is the Ouyang family's business system, connections and manpower. The contracts of selling these people will be transferred to Zhu Hao. Except for those who take care of Ouyang's daughter on a daily basis, the rest are involved in the Ouyang family's business.
No one could leave their post without permission, but their master became Zhu Hao.
"Miss Ouyang, I'll ask Shopkeeper Ma to take you to the official residence later. I haven't asked you your name before..."
Zhu Hao and Ouyang were the only two people left in the room.
But now they are no longer business partners, but a master-servant relationship. Before, they could sit and talk face to face, but now they can only sit and stand.
"My maiden name is Fei, my parents call me Fei'er, I'm sixteen years old..."
Before a woman is married, her maiden name is a secret.
But now that Zhu Hao is Ouyang Fei's owner, the situation is different. Zhu Hao is her "reborn parent".
She is sixteen years old, that is, she is only fifteen this year. She is a little girl who is completely ignorant of the world. In the previous life, children of this age were still in the second grade of junior high school. In the Ming Dynasty, some were married and had children, and the rest were waiting in the boudoir.
She got married, but because her parents died early and she had no brothers or sisters to help her, the family business could only be borne by a weak woman like her...
His crime of having a jade in his possession is excusable because he has ruined his family fortune.
Zhu Hao said: "A place will be arranged for you here, but there won't be anyone to serve you in the future. It's even possible..."
"I see."
Ouyang Fei is not very adaptable to the change of status.
Before, she was a rich young lady, and she was always served by others when she was eating, sleeping or traveling. Even though she was just from a merchant family and had no social status, she had been pampered since she was young, but now she had to serve others.
Zhu Hao smiled and nodded: "Just understand. Living in an inn is too expensive. I have a school over there. You can move there first."
Ouyang Fei asked respectfully: "I wonder when I will go see Madam?"
Zhu Hao was a little surprised: "What madam? You work with me and have nothing to do with my mother. Besides, my mother is only responsible for the accounting. How to operate the business in daily life and what goods to purchase and sell are all between me and Lao Ma
It’s up to you.”
"When did you start trafficking colored glass mirrors to Nanjing for sale?"
Ouyang Fei suddenly felt like she had been "scammed".
She had clearly agreed to join in and start a business together, but why did she feel like she was being kept in a private home and later sold her off? Could it be that this childish kid was deliberately planning to deceive himself into selling himself into slavery, and later resell himself to the Duke of Chengguo?
Before, I had the power to choose, but now I have no control over it.
Zhu Hao shook his head: "It is impossible for you to take over the glass mirror business. This involves my agreement with Boss Su, but I can hand over other goods to your Ouyang family's business channels for sale... How much does Miss Ouyang think she is worth? If not
As your sales channel, why should I buy from you?"
Ouyang Fei was startled.
After thinking about it, I realized that what Zhu Hao said made some sense.
These days, even if you are sold to the Qin Lou Chu Pavilion, you still need to be talented. You need to cultivate it from an early age. You are proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. You, a young lady from a merchant family, have nothing but figure and appearance. You think you can be good in the romantic field.
Getting famous?
There is also the option of selling it to the Duke of Chengguo...
Speaking of which, considering how domineering the Chengguo family is, will they pay? They just want to take it by force. The Chengguo family still owes the Ouyang family thousands of taels of silver and has yet to pay it back. With power in hand, things can be done just by opening your mouth.
, why spend a lot of money to solve the problem?
Buy a slave who can't serve anyone. Such a woman has little value in the human market, except of course those who covet her beauty. But it's not a woman with gold or jade, nor can she take it home to live in. It can be worth forty or fifty.
Two silver dollars is not bad.
With the childish thinking in front of me, would he spend a lot of money for a mere forty or fifty taels of silver?
"If you want to make money early to redeem the family property, you must take the initiative to lower yourself and work hard. I have inquired about your details. You are well-educated and especially good at arithmetic. I will not waste your talents by asking you to do physical work or work hard.
Things that are detrimental to your dignity, such as daily accounting, management, recruitment and training of personnel, etc., all need to be handled by you personally. If you are not good at it, you must study hard and strive to be able to take charge of it on your own as soon as possible. "
Zhu Hao's words made Ouyang Fei feel an inexplicable humiliation.
I am the head of a big family, now you want me to be an apprentice?
"Okay, you and Lao Ma go to settle the formalities. I'll go to the palace first and we'll talk about it when we meet in the afternoon."
…
…
Ouyang Fei officially became Zhu Hao's slave.
As a civilized man, Zhu Hao has always advocated equality for everyone, but now he has many people's contracts in his hand, and when he takes them out occasionally, he feels that they are ridiculous.
However, Zhu Hao understood that if he wanted to advance the civilization process of the Ming Dynasty, the strength of one person alone was not enough. He needed to have "one of his own" to assist him. And the most binding thing for those around him in this era is probably the contract of betrayal...
...If this thing doesn’t exist, how can you ensure that these people can move towards the same goal as you?
Giving equal freedom to one person in the family is not his purpose. What is important is to accumulate strength to promote changes in the times. As long as he does not bully his subordinates as a master in the process, that will be enough.
Inside the palace.
When Zhu Hao returned to his school, what was rare was that Yuan Rulin, who had just passed the county examination, also came. Two gentlemen, Fan Yikuan and Tang Yin, were also there. Four classmates, Lu Song, Jinghong, Zhu San and Zhu Si, were also absent.
It is rare for the classroom staff to be so neat and tidy.
"You must know that Zhu Hao and Yuan Rulin passed the county examination the day before yesterday. There are still a few assessments to come. The palace has already informed the Confucianism Administration that they will not participate for the time being." Tang Yin said with a smile.
The Ming Dynasty's county examination has one advantage. In addition to the first four-book examination, you can optionally participate in the subsequent examinations.
But if you fail the first round, everything else will be ignored. In fact, there are only forty places to take part in the subsequent assessment. It is similar to the internal examination of the Confucian Teaching Office. There is no need to announce the results to the public... There are only forty people.
We all know who passed the test, does it matter whether we announce it or not?
The following tests will test the Five Classics, strategy, theory, arithmetic and other miscellaneous subjects.
From the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty, there was no assessment of poems or poems, and there was no official memorization reading such as "Holy Edicts and Guangxun" for brainwashing. The examination was closer to assessing the candidates' talents.
It was not until the Qianlong reign of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties that the examination of poems and poems in the Tang and Song Dynasties was resumed.
The key to evaluating the results of the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty was the quality of the four writings.
At present, there is some controversy over Zhu Hao's passing the county examination. In order to prevent Zhu Hao from being surrounded by scholars and causing unnecessary trouble when he went to take the next few examinations, the palace simply let Zhu Hao stay in the palace to prepare for the exam for three days.
The monthly government examination.
Tang Yin continued: "The date for the government examination has also been set, because Kuang Zhizhou will resign before the end of March, and the government examination will be advanced to mid-March, that is, March 15th, leaving Zhu Hao and Yuan Rulin to prepare for the exam.
We only have one month, so you two have to work harder."
Zhu Si asked in confusion: "Mr. Tang, didn't you say that Zhu Hao has passed the county chief examination, and he can still get the title of student member without taking the subsequent examination?"
"Ha ha."
Tang Yin said with a smile, "Even if you pass the county examination, you still have to take the government examination, and you must answer it seriously. If the essay is poorly written, the examiner has the right to deprive you of the qualification to enter the school..."
These words were clearly meant to wake Zhu Hao up.
Don't think that you can sit back and relax if you pass the county examination. The rule is that county examination candidates can enter school as usual, but it does not say that they will definitely be able to enter. If it is Kuang Yangming, the examiner of the government examination, or the examiner of the college examination
, Zhang Bangqi, a student of this province, is not happy with your article, but he can still remove you...
Zhu Hao knew that Tang Yin was trying to scare him.
Those who took the county examination could enter the school and obtain the title of student member. The imperial court established this rule to ensure that each county had a "guaranteed" quota for each college examination.
During the Ming Dynasty, various prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of many prefectures had uneven teaching levels. The quality of education in some counties was simply not good. There were fewer early scholars, fewer teachers in private schools, and even fewer famous teachers who could teach students well. This created a vicious situation.
There is a cycle, and the number of students admitted in each college examination is limited. In order to avoid some counties being left with nothing during a certain college examination, this rule was set.
After all, the government examination is taken by Confucian students from all counties together and is not divided into counties. Only the county examination is the internal competition among scholars in the county. The county head is not only an honor, but also to ensure the principle of educational fairness...
In fact, it is unfair to a certain extent!
The quality of education in your county is not good, so why do you have to ensure that your county takes away a student quota? What do you think of those candidates in other counties who are superior to this candidate in terms of talent and academics, but are forced to pass on?
In fact, Anluzhou...
This problem does not exist in itself. It has two counties under its jurisdiction. The one with relatively lagging education quality is Jingshan County. But rules are rules and no one dares to break them. Therefore, Zhu Hao's student quota is almost guaranteed, and there is a possibility of changes.