Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 76 The Servant (First Update)

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June 22nd.

In the empty Duke Zanguo's mansion, a human trafficker with almost no distinguishable features entered through a side door. He was the kind of person who would be completely inconspicuous in a crowd.

"Tooth" is a polysemous word, referring in this context to a medium or a dealer.

Although the profession of human slave trading is immoral, it is an indispensable trade in this world.

"This row consists of strong, dark-skinned Kunlun slaves, that row consists of docile Silla maids, the third row consists of refugees created in the second year of the Zhenguan era, and the last row consists of criminals and descendants of officials who committed crimes during the chaotic times."

This last sentence made Dou Fengjie's eyes flicker.

Good heavens, how could someone who should be an official be smuggled out by human traffickers?

Kunlunnu had dark skin and naturally curly hair. When he smiled, he revealed two rows of big white teeth like a coal miner. However, his figure was not as tall as outsiders boasted.

Southeast Asian natives are generally shorter in stature.

The Old Book of Tang records: South of Linyi, all areas are called Kunlun.

The Silla maid appeared gentle and graceful, with a rather slender figure, but her plain face was the only thing that dampened one's interest.

No wonder the sorcery and evil arts of Silla before the time travel were so advanced; it was driven by market demand.

Fortunately, although Kunlun slave and Silla maid spoke with somewhat awkward accents, they could still communicate the basic meaning.

As for the aftermath of those criminals and corrupt officials, that's even more interesting.

"My name is Zhi Chunting."

A boy of decent appearance spoke numbly.

"A branch full of family members?"

Dou Fengjie thought for a while, then his expression suddenly changed.

If you're not familiar with the branch manager, you'll be familiar with his other name, Wang Shichong.

Wang Shichong, a Hu (non-Han) man, lost his grandfather at a young age. His grandmother, along with her father Zhishou, remarried into the Wang family, and Zhishou changed his surname to Wang.

After Wang Shichong was defeated and surrendered, he was killed by Dugu Xiude in revenge, but many people believe that Emperor Wude Li Yuan did not uphold military virtue.

Dou Fengjie thought that Dugu Xiude had killed Wang Shichong's entire family, but he didn't expect that there were still some who had escaped.

Starting with Zhi Chunting, Dou Fengjie stopped interfering in the affairs of all criminals and corrupt officials.

Those are all troublesome people; if Dou Fengjie gets involved with them, it will give him a terrible headache.

Zhi Chunting alone was enough to provoke Wang Shichong's longtime enemies to attack him.

Dou Fengjie had no reason to protect this type of person.

However, the refugees of the second year of the Zhenguan era were victims of natural disasters. Drought and locust plagues forced them to go out and beg for food, and some had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery.

When it comes to a full stomach, freedom means nothing.

"Which state and county are you from?"

Dou Fengjie inquired of several men and women.

"My lord, we are all from Liyang County in Yongzhou. Back then, our parents were so hungry that they sold us to find a way to survive."

Seventeen-year-old Qian Yong replied with a hint of bitterness.

In the first year of the Wude era, Emperor Li Yuan ordered Daxing County to be renamed Wannian County, and the original Wannian County to be renamed Liyang County.

Liyang County and Xinfeng County are separated by the Wei River. The county is not rich in resources and has no ability to resist drought and locusts.

This shows how lacking the irrigation canals were in this era.

Infrastructure cannot be perfected without the hard work of a generation.

In addition, since Liyang's main grain production at the time was millet, and it did not avoid the locust season, the disaster was even more severe.

Dou Xi glanced at the girls from Liyang County, a hint of joy in her eyes: "My lord, it's better to choose someone from Guanzhong, someone we know well."

Dou Fengjie glanced at Dou happy thoughtfully.

He's already a middle-aged man, and he knows he needs to win over young women; he probably already has someone he likes.

Dou happy's mother glared at him.

You have no manners! Do you have the right to speak in front of a gentleman?

Dou happy stuck out his tongue, and Dou Fengjie smiled and said, "Manager Xi naturally has the right to choose one or two people."

Whether Dou happy understood the subtext or not, he simply pointed at a middle-aged woman.

One or two, but in reality, there can only be one.

Dou Fengjie glanced at the middle-aged woman. Her coarse clothes couldn't hide her youthful vitality. Her round face wasn't full enough, and her almond-shaped eyes were full of determination. Judging from the thickness of her arms and legs, she was someone who did manual labor often.

"Aren't you going to thank the young master and the steward?" The slave trader nudged the middle-aged woman. "Zhao Rou from Liyang, only sixteen years old, is excellent at cooking and housework."

Zhao Rou's worth was not high, only five strings of cash, about the same as a nag.

Dou happy has taken a liking to Zhao Rou, and regardless of whether Zhao Rou will reciprocate his feelings in the future, she will have to submit to him.

When you lack the ability, whether you like something or not doesn't matter, as long as you can get by.

This statement applies not only to slaves, but also to the vast majority of commoners.

In Liyang, Dou Fengjie bought two men and two women, including Zhao Rou.

After a moment's hesitation, Dou Fengjie chose two slightly shorter but sturdier slaves from Kunlun.

Dou Fengjie made no choice between the Silla maid and the criminal.

For Dou Fengjie, safety was of paramount importance. He could not trust the descendants of disgraced officials, and he trusted even less the Silla maids.

The price was five strings of cash for both men and women, and twenty strings of cash for Kunlun slaves. It is said that Silla maids were even more expensive.

Dou happy went to Changshoufang with the slave trader, entered Chang'an County to register the servants, paid the taxes, and then handed over sixty strings of cash to the slave trader.

Incidentally, Dou happy also found out the names and residences of the human traffickers, so that he could contact them in the future and settle accounts later.

"Mo Lezhong and Mo Lecheng, you are responsible for the heavy lifting in the mansion. You are not allowed to enter the backyard or the small courtyard on the left without permission."

"Zhao Rou and Zhao Wan are in charge of the kitchen, laundry, and tidying up, assisting my mother with her work."

"Qian Yong and Qian Jin guarded the house and took care of A-Lu's family, doing all sorts of chores."

Dou happy made the arrangements in an orderly manner.

A hint of a smile appeared in Dou Shang's eyes, which, combined with the scars on his face, made the six servants tremble.

Even Dou happy's mother couldn't help but smile at this moment.

The child has grown up and can stand on his own; it won't be long before I can hold my grandchildren.

Even with the addition of six servants, the vast Duke Zanguo's mansion still felt somewhat empty.

You should know that the Fahai Temple in front of this mansion houses thirty monks.

Dou Fengjie entered the backyard, and Dou Shang followed him with his sword.

"My lord, isn't that relatively frail Zhao Wan a bit odd?"

Dou Shang's eyes were filled with doubt.

"This is a test. The human traffickers clearly have connections with the palace. I have no choice but to take Zhao Wan as bait."

Dou Fengjie gently explained the situation.

Even ordinary human traffickers couldn't produce a scoundrel like Zhi Chunting. Did they really think that the retired Emperor Li Yuan was a compassionate person?

Regardless of whether Zhi Chunting was a true descendant of the Zhi family, it was a message that Dou Fengjie should be wary of.

Given the court's current friendly attitude towards Silla, the Silla maid's actions were probably unrelated to the test, but Dou Fengjie dared not let his guard down.

Silla was notorious for its thievery!

Zhao Wan's physique and demeanor were very different from those of Zhao Rou, a middle-aged woman from a genuine farming family.

Dou happy, with his limited experience, couldn't see this difference, but Dou Shang and Dou Fengjie saw through it at a glance.

Unfortunately, since his legitimate offer of palace maids was rejected, Li Shimin resorted to this semi-covert method to intervene.

What's particularly disgusting about this move is that even if Dou Fengjie saw through it, he couldn't say it outright; at most, he could only let Zhao Wan leave the mansion.