Chapter 56 – Selecting House Servants (Part 4)
If it were just picking someone to guard the house, Jiang Pengji definitely wouldn’t choose those with criminal records; after all, she had to think about the safety of the Liu Residence family. But if it were for training private soldiers… Hehe, that would be a different story; she had yet to encounter anyone she couldn’t handle.
There was an innate thrill-seeking and adventurous spirit inside her, sometimes even bordering on pathological.
She remembered that before she became a legion commander in her past life, her superior nurtured her but was also pained by her temperament, sending her to a psychologist every few days. The outcome was predictable; those psychologists couldn’t alleviate her mental issues and nearly went crazy instead.
After all, not everyone possesses the strong mental fortitude to handle a stranger who, upon first meeting, exposes all their dirty laundry.
Steeling herself under the Old Steward’s piercing gaze, the Tooth Matron gestured for the troublesome “merchandise” to be brought up.
Almost everyone was shackled, looking less like “goods” from the Tooth Shop; if dressed in prison garb, they’d be straight-up criminals.
“Are all of these sold by the government?”
Jiang Pengji gave a cursory glance, noticing that half of the faces bore tattoos, having undergone branding.
“A few are official slaves, and a few were originally sentenced to death, but due to a general amnesty, they got lucky and were released.”
Seeing the deadpan, mocking, or sinister gazes of those people, the Tooth Matron immediately regretted her haste to unload them. If Jiang Pengji truly took a liking to a few and something went wrong, the Liu Residence would undoubtedly not let the Tooth Shop off easily.
Amnesty?
Jiang Pengji rummaged through her memory and indeed recalled such an event; the current Official Master, in celebrating the favorite consort’s birthday and alleviating the long-standing drought in Dongqing, had happily declared a nationwide amnesty. Calculating the time, that must have been early in the second month.
Under the Old Steward’s anxious eyes, Jiang Pengji walked in a big circle, finally stopping in front of a young boy around sixteen or seventeen.
【Sleep Through the Three Kingdoms Male Deities】: Oh, he’s quite the looker; he resembles that trending little fresh meat from a while back.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: Hey, I didn’t notice it until you mentioned it, but he looks much more mature than that fresh meat, way more manly!
In ancient times, by thirteen or fourteen, one could marry and start a family; at sixteen or seventeen, one might already be the father of a bunch of little ones, definitely more mature and steady.
However, Jiang Pengji’s focus wasn’t on looks; in fact, she wasn’t particularly concerned about the appearance of anyone but women.
“Lift your head so I can see.” Instead of directly gripping the boy’s chin, Jiang Pengji used the tip of her sandalwood fan to raise his chin. He seemed to strongly dislike this humiliating action, but his strength was no match for her, “What a pity…”
This was yet another criminal who had undergone branding, with tattoo marks on the right side of his face near the ear. Having not been properly cared for, the wound had festered, oozing a putrid yellow liquid, and some flesh was rolling out, mixed with traces of red—quite unsettling to look at.
【One Meter of Sunshine】: Ahhhh—From this angle, it looks even more like it; those eyes are amazing~\\(≧▽≦)/~
Perhaps due to the bountiful compliments, Jiang Pengji’s keen eyes spotted a line of lollipops and heart tokens floating across the screen.
The boy, forced to raise his chin, squinted his bright black eyes slightly, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering. His gaze seemed to conceal sharp blades, and the intensity with which he stared was quite penetrating, instilling a fear akin to having a knife pointed at one’s eyelid.
His lips, devoid of color, were dry and pale, slightly cracked, and his cheeks bore a sickly blush due to heat.
With his head lifted, his slender neck was accentuated; his disheveled collar hung loosely, revealing exquisitely contoured collarbones.
The Old Steward silently looked away; the sight was too beautiful for him to bear.
The Tooth Matron sighed regretfully, “It’s quite a pity indeed; even if his face heals, scars will remain.”
Currently, the trend favored a pale, delicate beauty; wearing flowers and powder was the fashion pursued by many noble youths. However, the general sense of aesthetics hadn’t changed much; most could distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Although this boy appeared quite dashing, he was still a rare beauty.
Had it not been for the disfigurement of his face, he would definitely be highly sought after in a brothel, based solely on looks.
“Young Master, keep your distance; be careful not to catch any illness from him.” The Old Steward disapproved, watching the fan in Jiang Pengji’s hand.
She laughed and put away the sandalwood fan, her gaze lingering on the boy, who had a look of utter resentment, resembling a young beast caged, capable of roaring in the forest, yet helpless in reality.
“Tooth Matron, what crime did this person commit?”
The Tooth Matron pondered for a moment and replied, “He’s from the neighboring county. His mother accidentally bumped into a noble while out shopping and fell, unfortunately hitting her head and passing away. Upon learning this, he went after the person with a knife, killing a house servant, and then got caught.”
Originally sentenced to thirty years of branding and exile, that family wasn’t willing to let it go, using their connections to throw him into a death row.
Having killed someone and offended the powerful, that family would definitely try to take his life, right?
Yet, he was somewhat fortunate; encountering the amnesty allowed him to be released, as his motives for killing stemmed from filial piety. Thus, he was brought out of death row, became a slave, and ended up changing hands a few times before finally landing in her grasp.
The Tooth Matron cautiously suggested, “This is just a troublemaker; it’s hard to manage and train. Young Master might want to look at someone else?”
Jiang Pengji pressed her lips together, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, opening her folding fan with a flourish, and said, “Nope, just him!”
The Old Steward and the Tooth Matron: “…”
Why does it feel like there’s such hatred towards him!?
“Now, finding someone literate is no easy task, and someone literate with a bit of wit is even harder to come by. Just a few taels of silver; it’s a steal.”
The boy glared at her, and she could even hear him grinding his back teeth in anger.
Jiang Pengji smiled meaningfully at the boy; her luck was quite good, yet this boy’s luck had surely taken a dive.
If it weren’t for her, he could have made his escape from the Tooth Shop tonight, just one step away from freedom. Yet, well… such a trivial “prison break” strategy was hardly impressive in her eyes; at most, it piqued her interest, “What’s his name?”
The Tooth Matron seemed to short-circuit and realized it late, quickly replying, “His name is Xu Ke.”
Jiang Pengji idly asked, “Do you have a courtesy name?”
The boy had practiced martial arts, but the thick calluses on his fingers suggested he’d also studied. Regardless of what elder bestowed upon him his name, scholars in ancient times ought to have a courtesy name.
Jiang Pengji still didn’t understand why naming had to be so complicated; a name is a name, why bother with all the extra nonsense of courtesy names.
The Tooth Matron was at a loss for words, secretly kicking Xu Ke, glaring fiercely, “Young Master is asking you!”
Xu Ke pressed his lips together; the anger still simmered in his chest, but the situation forced him to suppress it for a while.
