Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chapter 281 Central City

Compared to Jiang Shangxian who was wavering, frightened and extremely nervous, Cui Bianxu who was anxious to get married was quite calm.

Because of the Cui family's wealth for generations, the accumulated number of slaves is actually astonishing. In fact, all the servants around him are the Cui family's servants. Little Cui himself has never bought slaves from outside, but fortunately he still knows the general process.

Where there is buying and selling, there must be a complete market and corresponding laws and regulations. The slave trade in Chang'an City was divided into two places. The West Market mainly sold foreign people and livestock such as cattle, horses and sheep, such as beautiful foreign girls, castrated Kunlun slaves, etc.

In addition to the famous East and West Markets, Chang'an City actually has a less famous Central Market. Although its location is a bit remote, close to the south of the city, it is quite close to Zhuque Avenue and Mingde Gate. It covers a small area and occupies a small space in Dayefang. This is a place that specializes in buying and selling domestic slaves.

Don't underestimate this place now. When Li Zhi comes to power, he will set aside half of it for human trafficking.

This was Jiang Shangxian's first time coming here. After all, the Jiang family didn't usually need to hire anyone, and all the housework was done by themselves. If they had to support one more person, they would have to have one more mouth to eat, sleep, and shit.

"How many people do we need to buy today?" Jiang Shangxian felt a little guilty when he said this.

"Not many. I'll just pick two younger maids and eight strong and sturdy servants. That will be enough." Cui Bian said the number he had decided on long ago.

"what?"

Jiang Shangxian was stunned for a moment: "Ten?"

This is too much, ten! Ten people eating out would make her broke!

Oh my god, she wouldn't have to work to support these people, would she? People with poor aspirations have low aspirations. Jiang Shangxian originally thought that buying two maids would be enough as a token of appreciation, but he didn't expect the money to increase fivefold in an instant!

Cui Bianxu thought she felt it wasn't enough, so he paused for a moment and said, "I'm inconsiderate... Let's add six more maids to clean the place. If you like any of them, you can bring them along."

He had really thought about it. It was fine for him to have servants do the cleaning and other chores while he lived alone, but it would be inconvenient to have servants do these things after he got married. "If six isn't enough, more won't be a problem. I'll see what happens later."

hiss....

No, that's not what she meant. How could there be six more mouths to feed? Sixteen people! Sixteen living people! What kind of work would she have to do to support them?

Jiang Shangxian couldn't help but cast a strange look at Xiao Cui: "There are so many people... just the two of us..."

There's no need for such an exaggerated number of people to serve you! Do you need others to help you poop?

Unfortunately, Cui Bianxu was not on the same wavelength with her this time. The Cui family had so many female members and servants around them, so he had to underestimate the situation. After all, with the female members present, the gates to the inner courtyard had to be guarded by maids.

Plus the cleaning staff, the gardening staff...

"If there are people who are good at sewing, tending to flowers and plants, or good at cooking, it's fine to buy them all back." Anyway, these people will need to be matched in the mansion in the future, so it will save trouble if they can all be gathered today.

Seeing that more and more people were calculating, Jiang Shangxian didn't dare to say anything at all, and didn't even dare to glance around. He quickly estimated Cui Bianxu's salary in his mind.

The salaries of officials in the Tang Dynasty were divided into three items: salary money, rice, and official land.

The salaries of officials in Beijing are one level higher than those of officials outside the capital. Those who pass the annual official assessment can receive a bonus - a quarter or a year's salary of rice.

The stipend would not be paid until the year Li Zhi ascended the throne. The stipend consisted of a monthly salary, food, and miscellaneous expenses. Officials would also have Fangge or Shupu. Officials of the fifth rank and above would be Fangge, while those of the sixth rank and below would be Shupu.

Generally speaking, officials retired at age seventy, provided they were healthy and free from disaster, and the court or His Majesty had no special needs. This was called "zhi shi" (meaning "retirement"). Those who had diligently worked until the age of seventy could enjoy the court pension—a four-year pension for those below the sixth rank, half their original salary.

Those above the fifth rank can receive a half-price pension for life.

Xiao Cui happened to be of the fourth rank, and as long as he worked like a slave until he was seventy years old, he could continue to receive money from the court.

So what is Xiao Cui’s current salary?

The annual salary was about fifty taels of silver (officials’ salaries were paid in silver), the rice allowance was about two hundred and sixty dan (one dan of rice was about 50 kilograms), and the seven hundred acres of official land was also divided into two categories: official land and permanent land.

The former had to be repaid upon leaving office, while the latter was a reward for a lifetime of service to the court.

Jiang Shangxian was calculating so hard that she saw stars. She couldn't figure it out, she really couldn't figure it out, but she knew one thing very well.

Officials in the court who did not have family background to rely on had to work diligently and save money to buy a house in a slightly better area in Chang'an. They had very few servants except for the two issued by the court.

For someone like Cui Bianxu, who has a bunch of servants and guards at home, and who is extravagant in nature, it is likely that he will not be able to make ends meet.

Xiao Jiang's eyes went dark, and he dug up the task that he had forgotten about. It turned out that one still needs to make money to survive.

If you don't plan for the future, you'll have immediate worries. Xiao Cui can spend money so lavishly now, but all the money he spends belongs to the Cui family. If one day the Cui family simply cuts off this supply in order to hinder them...

No, no, absolutely not!

What is the most important thing in life? Economy!

How could a woman like a female eagle have her lifeline strangled?

Jiang Shangxian clenched his fists and spoke seriously: "Cui Lang..."

"Hmm~?"

Ah, this damn voice full of male hormones, the lustful Jiang Shangxian was excited again. Their Xiao Cui would never bow down to others for money!

"I want to open a restaurant or an inn. It doesn't have to be very big, two storefronts will do." She must have Xiao Cui's help with this matter, as it would be too troublesome for her to do it alone.

Cui Bianxu was slightly surprised: "You want to open a restaurant?"

But on second thought, he felt it was very reasonable. Jiang Shangxian really liked to study food. There were so many dishes, and if one didn't really like them, I'm afraid no one would spend so much energy on them.

But...

"If you want to open up, wait until you and I get married before you open up..."

After Cui Bian finished speaking, he was afraid that she might misunderstand him, so he explained, "My mother and the others will go back with us when the time comes. When we return from Qinghe, it will be just you and me in Chang'an. You can do whatever you want, but right now..."

It’s not that he can’t do it, but he’s mainly afraid that his mother will nag him, which would be very annoying.

"Aren't you afraid that people will report you because of this?" Jiang Shangxian didn't expect that he would think so much. There are thousands of ways to deal with elders. Originally, he just wanted to wait until they left.